With A Little Help From My Friends
by ginevra85
Summary: Series of missing moments from "The Sue Sylvester Bowl Shuffle", "Silly Love Songs" and "Original Song", featuring both the New Directions and the Warblers. The POVs change often. Mostly canon. Klaine, Artie/Britt, lots of friendships.
1. Ch1: The Sue Sylvester Bowl Shuffle

A.N.: Hey! This time I left my beloved land of Narnia, to venture onto uncharted lands… by that I mean the GLEE-verse, of course. This short story (four chapters or so), is made of missing moments from 3 episodes I particularly enjoyed. I hope you'll like them, even my beloved Narnian readers.

Everything is mostly canon, they're only more affectionate with each other, because I remember high school and we were always hugging and kissing, so… enjoy! If you want to, leave me a review, but you don't have to… I'm lazy, too.

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><p>"<em>'Cause this is thriller, thriller night <em>

_Girl, I can thrill you more than any ghost would ever dare try _

_Thriller, thriller night _

_So let me hold you tight and share a killer, thriller, oh!"_

_**Chapter 1: The Sue Sylvester Bowl Shuffle**_

"I need you to do this number with me, to make Finn jealous."

Noah Puckerman can't stop the silly smile that comes to his lips at Rachel's outburst. She sure knows how to make an entrance. Beware world: Rachel Berry is back!

"Hello to you, too. What song would this be? And why me? Finn already hates me enough, without adding to it by hanging out with you."

Rachel sighs and sits on the piano bench next to him. She plays a simple refrain with one hand and he repeats it on a lower scale.

"First of all, Finn has no right to decide who gets to be my friend, particularly now he isn't even my boyfriend. And you are my friend, Noah. I hope you know that. Plus he feels very intimidated by you, because it looks like all his girlfriends can't help but fall for your charms. And your guns, yes. This makes you the perfect person to sing a duet with, if I want a reaction." She speaks rapidly, as usual, without stopping to give him time to intervene. Or refuse. "And you have to admit, we sound amazing together, as we have proved during the Run Joey Run debacle."

He has to laugh at her smug tone. He puts an arm around her shoulders and adds:

"We really do, don't we? So what do you want to sing, princess?"

"Do you know Lady Antebellum?"

"I do." Then he thinks about it and turns to look at her, taken aback. "You want to sing Need You Now? You really want him to get mad!"

"I really do." She smirks. "I have the lyrics and the tabs here. Will you sing with me then?"

"Sure. Why not." He shrugs and stands up to pick up his guitar.

They are working on it for less than thirty minutes when Sam comes into the room to collect his guitar. He smiles at Puck's confused look, while Rachel explains a bridge with intricate hand gestures.

"Hi guys! What are you rehearsing?"

They both smile at him and gesture for him to take a seat with them.

"Rachel here wants to make Finnocence jealous and asked me to sing Need You Now with her. Want to help?"

Rachel claps at Puck's suggestion and goes to pick up Sam's guitar from the little office. That's when Quinn enters the choir room, attracted by her boyfriend's laughter.

"Oh! Hello. What are you all doing here? Isn't it time to go home?"

"Puck and Rachel are working on Need You Now, by Lady Antebellum, and I'm offering second guitar services during rehearsals." Sam answers with a warm smile. "Are you going home?"

"I was." Then she appears to ponder something for a moment and shrugs, dropping her bag on a chair and taking off her jacket. "Do you need piano services, too?" She offers with a smile.

Puck and Rachel look at each other, quite surprised. Rachel is the first to look at the blonde Cheerio with a big smile.

"That would be lovely. Here's the music."

* * *

><p>Lauren has just finished her wrestling training, when she hears Puck's voice come from the glee room. Curious about what he is up to now, she goes inside and sees him and Rachel Berry sing, making ridiculous eyes at each other, accompanied by Sam and Quinn. They are both laughing at the singing duo's antics, even the glacial Cheerio princess, and Lauren has to admit it: Puck and Berry's show is amusing and quite cute. And they are admittedly very good. She claps for them when the song finishes and they all stand up to bow to her with a smile.<p>

"You wouldn't happen to be able to play drums, would you?" Asks an energized Rachel Berry.

"Not really, no. But I play a mean tambourine." Lauren jokes.

They all cheer and that's how Lauren Zizes finds herself joining their rehearsals during all the following week. Once the performance is done, in front of the football jocks, no less, she has to admit they did quite a good job. Puck and Rachel are flawless.

* * *

><p>It is after one of this rehearsals that Sam and Rachel start to talk, since Sam is curious about the reason why she and Finn broke up. So she tells him about Santana and their never-ending feud and her stupid revenge.<p>

"Don't get me wrong, Noah is a superb kisser. I certainly don't regret that!" She hastens to add, making Sam laugh. "But it wasn't right. It was petty and it hurt him… I'm always hurting the people I love." She says sadly, lowering her eyes. They have reached their cars and Sam can see Quinn, coming out of the school with Puck and Lauren, talking animatedly with the wrestler.

"I think he's going to forgive you. You'll see."

She looks up, then, and fixes him with an intense stare.

"You don't understand, Sam. Finn has a very short attention span. And I mean _very_ short. Plus, he cares for his popularity almost as much as Quinn, even if he doesn't show it. Just you wait until you win that championship game. He'll have half the school after him and I won't have any chance. It's imperative I get him back before that."

She stops speaking after that, probably because the others have reached them. Sam, though, keeps thinking about their conversation for a long time and he has to admit – the more he repeats her words in his head, the more Finn Hudson seems like an asshole. Who put him in charge anyway?

* * *

><p>Quinn is perfectly able to own up to it (if only to herself): she doesn't hate Rachel Berry. Despite what she forcefully tells anyone who dares insinuate that she more than tolerates the miniature diva, sometimes she almost likes her. Maybe because last summer, after Beth was born, Quinn spent a lot of time with Puck and Rachel, talking about the absurdity of her mom adopting their daughter. She knows how deeply Rachel actually feels, even if she doesn't always go about it the right way. She also knows that Finn is too hurt by what Rachel did – Quinn's fault to a degree – to forgive Rachel only because he's jealous. He'll probably just try to guilt Puck into staying away from her. In addition, Quinn is confused about her own feelings: Sam is sweet and she likes him, but part of her will always be in love with Finn. She can't blame Rachel for wanting to try anything to get him back. All the same, she has a great time helping with the song. The two 'hot Jews' (she really has to stop hanging out with Puck…) sound wonderful together and she doesn't mind spending time with them again. After one rehearsal, while Rachel and Sam are walking ahead, Mr. Shuster sees them and asks what they are doing still at school so late. Puck tells him he is working on something with Rachel and that's how she finds herself unable to stop smiling during their performance in front of the football players. They are really good (and flirty, but she thinks they can't quite help it) and, judging from Finn's annoyed air, they fulfilled their purpose. For now.<p>

* * *

><p>Rachel knows, intellectually, that violence isn't the answer and that calling Noah a girl wasn't a real insult – being a girl isn't insulting at all – but she also knows that the intensions behind this jocks' words are anything but honorable. So she goes all mama bear on their ass. Nobody insults her people in front of her! She knows only too well how much it hurts.<p>

She almost laughs when she notices that Sam is the one who is bodily restraining her. Her feet are literally off the floor and he is yelling at her to calm down and laughing at the same time. Rachel finally laughs, too – before she sees the look of sheer rage on Noah's face. She suspects he took the barb as more of an attack directed to her and their bad ass performance than on himself. Coach Beiste is having problems restraining him. Rachel sighs and goes limp in Sam's arms.

"Put me down Sam." He hesitates, not sure of what she's going to do. Or maybe of what he's going to do without the distraction of a hysterical Rachel Berry to hold back. "I'm fine Sam. Put me down. I need to stop Puckerman before he gets suspended." At this, he lets her go without a second thought. "By the way? Nice abs!"

The blond shakes his head with a grin, watching warily as she plants herself in front of Noah Puckerman and grabs his face in her hands, avoiding the swinging guitar. Sam promptly catches it and puts it out of harm's way… poor thing.

* * *

><p>"Look at me, Noah! Calm down!"<p>

Puck isn't really in an amenable mood right now. He wants to bash some heads in, even if Evans took away his weapon of choice.

"Noah!" The voice calls again, forcing him to face its owner, who has her hands on his jaw. "Stop it! Listen to me! You have to calm down, or you'll be suspended again!"

Puck finally focuses his attention on a frantic Rachel Berry. Who has tears in her eyes. That doesn't certainly help him to calm down. He hates to see girls cry.

"They insulted our performance, Rach!"

"I know."

"We worked our asses off!"

"I know. We were great."

"They made you cry!"

At this Rachel finally smiles, albeit a bit sadly, and throws her arms around his neck. He feels the rage leave him in a wave and puts his own arms around her waist. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees that Coach is looking at them with her mouth open. Rachel's voice against his throat brings his attention back to her.

"Thank you, Noah. You're always defending my honor and listening to my crazy plans. And you smell awesome. You are quite the friend and knight in shining armor. I don't want you to get in trouble because of me. We can sing about it later, if you want. Something from your selection of angry music if it'll make you feel better."

The randomness of her thought process makes him laugh out loud.

"That's your angry music too, Bon Jovi!" He chuckles. Rachel squeals as he tightens his hold on her waist and lifts her off the floor. The room goes silent and still in a second. The only noises are Sam, Artie and Lauren's snickers – probably laughing at the strange scene they make in the middle of a brawl – and Tina and Brittany's 'aawww'.

"This is so knocking down my bad ass-points." Puck grumbles. His only answer is Rachel's wobbly laugh against his shoulder.

* * *

><p>Sam is not stupid. Despite Kurt's insinuations, the bleach didn't affect his brain, thank you very much. He sees the way his girlfriend looks at Finn after he defends her against Rachel's, spot-on, barb. Despite what Hudson says, they all know Quinn will choose the Cheerios and that Santana and Brittany will feel obligated to follow her. She <em>is<em> their captain. What the other girls do after the team dissolves, _that_ he finds impressive. He knows they don't know the first thing about football and that they couldn't care less about the Championship game. They care about them and the glee club, though, enough to risk getting hurt. He loves them for it and finds Rachel and Tina jumping and chanting "Football team! Football team!" extremely cute. Plus he doesn't doubt that Lauren can 'bring the pain'… she scares the hell out of him.

* * *

><p>Rachel honestly thought this football game deal would be harder than it ended up being. True, they are probably losing spectacularly (she isn't to clear about the rules of this silly game), but Finn's smile when he saw them saunter into the pitch is enough for her. Sam grabbing her fists with a laugh and Noah's tender "Are you ready for this?", were even better. She had been ready to help them win. Rachel Berry doesn't lose if she can help it. Tina almost getting hurt wasn't in the plan, though, and she has to bring Finn back down to Earth: they cannot win without the rest of the team and she'd rather sing during the halftime show than get trampled by a group of overgrown teenagers. Of course, what Finn is preoccupied with is getting the cheerleaders back (part of her knows that what he really want is to have <em>Quinn<em> back. She catches Sam's sad eyes and has to look the other way to stop herself from crying…). Despite everything, they survive the last two and a half minutes and she follows Noah to the boys' locker room to hear what he's going to say to convince the rest of them to join in time for the show.

"You can do it." She assures him, then she sends him inside with a pat on his arm.

He's talking about children and losers and whatever else, when she feels a hand on her head. Sam smiles at her and asks:

"You OK? How's he doing?"

She smiles back and nods.

"I think he's got them. He's quite the orator, it would seem."

They are both laughing about it, with their hands in front of their mouths to prevent the others from hearing, when a reunited football team comes out of the door, ready to be zombified. Sam slaps shoulders happily and Rachel hugs a couple of them and sends them to the girls' locker room, where make-up and costumes are being done. When Noah comes out of the door, Rachel jumps on him, hanging on his shoulder-armor-thingies and feels Sam hugging them both from behind her and laughing. If nothing else, she made a new friend after all of this and she's happy about it. Noah lets them go and turns around, offering her his back.

"Come on, little zombies, let's go get all disfigured and shit!"

Rachel laughs and climbs on, letting him carry her to the rest of the group, where she proceeds to zombify them good and pretty. She did take a theater make-up class after all.

* * *

><p>"-that you were a real team out there. I'm so proud of you!" Coach Beiste's speech is over when the girls enter the locker room, back in their civilian clothes and armed with skin-cleaning products. They are welcomed by the boys' loud cheering and, laughing, start to spread to cover the whole group and help them 'de-zombify'. Finn doesn't know if he should hug Rachel or Quinn, his head is so confused, but it turns out he doesn't need to choose, because the girls don't even look at him, they head to Puck and Sam's group, arm in arm with Lauren and talking animatedly. Finn follows them with his eyes, quite confused. It takes Mercedes clearing her voice pointedly to make him look away. The sassy girl is standing in front of him, hands on her hips and frown firmly in place.<p>

"What are you doing, white boy? Don't you think it's time to stop playing games? If those two girls haven't been able to become friends, after all this time, it's all your fault. I hope you know it."

When Finn only sighs sadly and looks down, she grabs his chin and starts cleaning his face, shaking her head.

"I know you're confused. I can see it. Hell! I think even the walls can see it. And I know that you have been hurt, by both of them. The point is: if you can forgive Quinn, don't you think you should give Rachel the same courtesy? Haven't you punished her enough?"

"It's not that simple, Mercedes. It hurts, what they did. But I could probably put it all behind me, if I had to. What I don't understand is how I can like both of them at the same time!"

"That is really nothing strange, you know. It happens all the time. You also know they both regret what they did. Lord knows Rachel talks about it enough to cause selective deafness in both me and Kurt." She adds the last part in an angry whisper. Finn can't help but laugh. He is really happy that the three divas have become such good friends. Who knew that it was enough to separate them for a while?

Finn looks around again at the well-oiled machine that his two teams have become: the girls take off one boy's make-up and send him to the showers, getting to work on the one who comes next. Mercedes' touch on his shoulder distracts him again.

"You should probably hit the showers before they finish all the hot water." At least this time she's smiling.


	2. Ch2: Silly Love Songs

A.N.: in this part, we finally see the Warblers! We all love them, don't deny it… I must admit I'm quite fond of this chapter, it's a bit fluffy. As with the other one, the only warning is that the kids are more touchy-feely and affectionate than in canon-mostly Brittany.

The other Warblers named here, because I needed names to go with faces, are: Simon (Brock Baker) and Nathan (Aaron C. Page). The others you already know.

Enjoy! And if you feel like it, leave a review. They're much appreciated.

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><p>"<em>Do you ever feel, feel so paper-thin,<em>

_Like a house of cards –_

_One blow from cavin' in?"_

_**Chapter 2: Silly Love Songs**_

Kurt knows his facial expressions are more transparent than a mountain lake but, just for this time, please, don't let them see how his heart has just cracked! He can barely wait for Wes to call the end of the meeting, before he is hightailing it out of the hall. He hears Blaine call his name, trying to follow him, and prays for something to happen and spare him from having to talk to the curly blind moron. The fool probably wants to thank him – as if his pain isn't enough already, without adding mockery to it. His prayers are apparently answered by a blond, smiling boy and his blue-eyed sidekick. Jeff and Simon grab one arm each and drag him through a side corridor that Kurt knows leads back to Warbler Hall, effectively stopping Blaine from claiming Kurt's attention back.

"You forgot Pavarotti in your haste to run away from our resident lover-boy." Simon reminds him with a smile. Kurt gasps and starts walking faster, the other two now following him, laughing merrily. Stupid Blaine with his stupid eyebrows and his stupid smile and his stupid gorgeous earnest eyes, making Kurt forget his precious winged friend! Some of the Warblers (the human ones) are still in the room when they burst through the doors.

"Pavarotti, my love!" Kurt cries out dramatically, hugging the cage and causing the small bird to chirp happily at his owner. The others laugh and make him sit back down with them.

"Now Kurt," tells Jeff with a mischievous smile that worries Kurt immensely, "Tell us about that cat that was thrown at you."

They all angle themselves eagerly towards him, grinning brightly, understanding and desire to make him forget about (stupid blind moronic foolish) Blaine written all over their faces. Kurt has never been happier to be part of this (dysfunctional, mind you) family of strange boys. So, cage still on his knees, he talks…

* * *

><p>Kurt has been telling the boys stories about the madness that is New Directions for what feels like hours, judging from how much he is hurting from too much laughter, when Jeff notices the leg he has against Kurt's own is vibrating.<p>

"Kurt, someone's calling you."

The other fishes said phone out of his pocket and gasps happily at the display. Smiling he answers and puts the call on speaker.

"Hello Mercedes! A bunch of Warblers are listening, so behave!"

"_Doesn't it make it a flock?"_ Answers an amused voice.

"Oh, we never heard that one before!" Says Nick sarcastically, making the girl laugh.

"_Well, you're on speaker, too. I'm here with Rachel. Say 'hi' Rachel. Come on girl, try and be sociable."_

Jeff hears someone grumble that Mercedes isn't apparently as funny as she thinks she is, before a crystalline voice greets them:

"_Hello Kurt! Hello Warblers! I'm Rachel, nice to meet your voices."_

There's a couple of chuckles and some 'hello's on their end (Rachel is apparently responsible for most of the madness they just heard Kurt talk about and they're eager to hear the legend speak), before Kurt reclaims control of the conversation.

"So why are you calling? Not that I don't appreciate the timing. I was going to call you both later. We need to talk."

"_We miss you Kurt! We need you! Mercedes is so mean to me! She yells at me and she won't let me listen to Wicked… Please Kurtie come home!"_

There's a scuffle that can be heard on the other end and a high-pitched squeal. Immediately followed by laughter.

"_Shut it, crazy! We wanted to see if you were up for a sleepover at Rachel's tonight. I'm buying pizza."_

Kurt smiles and blushes a bit at the snickers coming from his male friends. Jeff smirks and, before Kurt can stop him, he has stolen the phone from the other's hand.

"Can I come, too?"

"_Who's that?"_ Asks Mercedes.

"Jeff! Give it back!" Kurt yells, following Jeff, who has started running around (and on) the couches, trying to keep possession of the phone. Pavarotti trills happily from the coffee table.

"_Are you cute Jeff?"_ Comes Rachel's voice from the mobile in his hand, causing the whole room to erupt in laughter.

"I'm very cute, my dear Rachel. Ask Kurt!"

"_I will, don't you worry! Are you gay, too?"_

"No, I'm not, sorry to disappoint!"

"_Then I'm sorry, but you can't come tonight. It's a girls-only kind of night, I'm afraid…"_

The Warblers are in tears and this time Jeff is joining in their mirth. Kurt, at Rachel's words, has stopped his chase to bang his head against the nearest wall. Mercedes is no help, seeing as Jeff can hear her evil cackle on the other side.

"That's enough!" Says Kurt finally, snatching the phone from Jeff's hand. "I'll see you girls at seven at Rachel's. I'm hanging up now. Bye."

"_Bye Kurtie!"_ They chorus. _"Bye bye cute birdies!"_

Kurt puts his phone back in his pocket, laughing at their outraged expressions at being called 'birdies'.

"They sound cool, Kurt." Simon says, smiling. "Are you going to introduce them to us in person, one of these days? We only saw them for a bit at Sectionals and I must admit I mostly noticed the leads."

Kurt smiles. Jeff thinks he looks a bit sad.

"Listen, you won't have met the real power of the New Directions until you've heard Rachel and Mercedes sing. They are their two divas. Well, there were three. We used to have diva-offs all the time…" He shakes the thought away, with obvious effort, and smiles at Simon again. "Of course I'll let you meet them soon."

"So _Kurtie_, tell us about this _girls' night_." The resident blond menace is smirking. "Are you going to braid each other's hair and paint your nails?"

Kurt is nonplussed. He smiles beatifically and makes sure Jeff is looking at him, before answering airily:

"Probably. And then we'll have pillow fights in our underwear, I'm sure."

Jeff chokes on air. The rest of the Warblers join him, in perfect harmony obviously. Kurt looks on smugly. Well, he almost died, but their newest Warbler appears to have momentarily forgotten Blaine. Jeff's going to count this one as a win.

* * *

><p>Puck finds Rachel on the bleachers, her gaze fixed on the empty football pitch. For a moment he is back to that afternoon, when she broke up with him. He almost wishes things had gone differently… She isn't so terrible, once you get to know her. It's only when he's reached her that he notices the tears on her cheeks. He grabs her chin and makes her look at him.<p>

"Who made you cry?" He asks angrily. "Was it Finn? I can kick his ass, if you want me to."

That at least wins him a smile.

"Thank you, Noah. That was quite chivalrous of you. There's no need, though. And I really don't deserve your kindness." The last is just a whisper.

"Why? What did you do?" Obviously nobody has ever accused Noah Puckerman of skirting around a problem. She seems to appreciate it, though, so win-win.

"I was so desperate for Finn to forgive me, that I even told him that I don't care about you!" She sounds miserable. Puck almost laughs.

"Well, do you?"

"What?"

"Care about me."

"Yes! I seem to recall telling you often enough, that I care about you, Noah!" She answers indignantly. This time he does laugh. She's just too endearing.

"It's fine, then." He reassures her. "I lied to him, too."

"What did you tell him?"

"After our duet, we were talking about the game and he asked me why we sang together. I remembered you stalking towards me, saying we were going to make him jealous. I couldn't tell him that! So I told him that it wouldn't happen again."

"Really?" She looks surprised and almost angry.

"Really. It was a lie, of course. I intend to sing with you any time you want me to." Rachel snorts and leans against his side. Puck puts his arm around her shoulders. "Come on. It's time to go to glee club."

He is leading her back towards the school, arm still around her shoulders, when Rachel pokes his ribs.

"Thank you, Noah."

"You're welcome, princess. And don't worry, it'll all work out, one way or another."

"OK…"

* * *

><p>The Warblers are a bright group of boys. They may be a bit self-absorbed, and too serious to boot, but their hearts are in the right place and they see how Warbler Kurt looks at Warbler Blaine. They may be many things, but they aren't <em>blind<em> Warblers.

At this point in the story, they are hanging back near the GAP, looking on as that strange boy, who doesn't know how to properly dress himself, tears Blaine's heart out and stomps on it. It's like a train wreck. They can't look away.

"Well, that's really… not surprising, I'm afraid." Comments Thad, shaking his head.

"Yeah…" Sighs David. "What I don't understand, though, is why Kurt looks so disconsolate. Shouldn't he be happy about it?"

"I think he even mocked the guy's hair…" Jeff looks unsure if he should be laughing or sad about the whole debacle.

"You really don't know the first thing about love, do you?" Scoffs Trent, adjusting the scarf around his neck. When he looks up, he sees his friends are studying him with various degrees of puzzled expressions. "Oh, for the love of… Look at Kurt!" They all turn to look at the apparently delicate countertenor. "He wanted to be the one that Blaine sang to on Valentine's, right?" They all nod, looking back at Trent. "Blaine, though, is quite dumb and, inadvertently I'm sure, broke Kurt's heart. Now Kurt could have reacted in different ways: he could have made a scene and told Blaine that he should stop flirting with him if he doesn't mean it-"

"He really should." Interjects another Warbler, causing a chorus of consent.

"Not going to happen." Wes speaks for the first time since they started discussing Kurt and Blaine's love life. "I think it comes naturally to him."

"Possible." Agrees Trent. "Kurt could have also decided to have nothing to do with the whole thing. He could have claimed a cold, sparing himself much heartache, I'm sure. He didn't."

"No, he went along with the thing." Simon sounds as if he can suddenly see the bigger picture. "Even now he is trying to console him and defend his intentions, isn't he?"

"Yep. You see what I mean?"

"God, I thought he only had a crush on him!" Thad sounds shaken. "He's really in love with the cretin, isn't he?"

It's not really a question. They all keep silent for a minute, looking as Kurt tries to cheer Blaine up.

"Well, we know one thing for sure, after all this mess." They turn to look at Jeff, who has a glint in his eye they've learned to fear. "We were damn cool in there!"

They all start laughing and even the Council members have to admit that performing in public wasn't as bad as they thought it would be. That's how Kurt finds them a minute later, when he rejoins them. Blaine is dejectedly following him. He looks like a kicked puppy. Wes drapes an arm around his shoulders and drags him away for a 'walk'.

"Kurt!" Yells Jeff, launching himself at the shorter boy. "Was I hot in there? Was I, Kurt?"

Kurt has to laugh at his enthusiasm. The other Warblers are also looking at him with big, eager eyes.

"Yes! Yes!" Kurt assures them, "You were all very good."

"But were we hot?"

"Yes, Jeff." He sighs. "You were all exceptionally hot and downright sexy." He adds with an eye roll. Jeff whoops and lifts Kurt off his feet, dropping a very wet kiss on his cheek.

"Jeff!" Kurt shrieks, making them all wince. "We talked about the importance of personal space! Bad boy!"

* * *

><p>Santana, contrary to popular belief, isn't really mean. Sure, she's a bitch. But who isn't, honestly? She heard them all, at one time or another, talking smack about somebody else. The only difference is that she doesn't care if the other person hears what she has to say.<p>

True, she was hurt by what Rachel said about her working on a pole, but she doesn't hold a grudge for long. Hell, if she and Rachel decided to stop talking to each other after the first barb they exchanged, they would have stopped speaking after the first day of kindergarten!

What she doesn't like is feeling alone, especially on Valentine's, surrounded by happy couples. Why is she here, again? Oh yeah, Porcelain asked and she loves Breadstix. Enough to sit here alone all evening? Maybe not…

She has half a mind to stand up and leave after the second song, when Rachel (now _that_ is a surprise) leans across the wooden partition between their tables and asks:

"Santana, why don't you join us?"

She looks sincere – she is even smiling genuinely, not with one of her show smiles. Santana can't help but shake her head and laugh quietly.

"Fine, Berry." She answers.

"Great! Why don't you grab Sam, too?" This time the smile looks a tad bitter. "He looks awfully lonely."

And that's how Santana finds herself, on Valentine's Day, sitting around the same table as the very people she hated not too long ago – Kurt and his _birdies_ (the two divas' words, not hers this time) providing the musical background, for a while.

Yeah… Not too bad a night. Not at all.

* * *

><p>Sam knows he's not the sharpest pencil in the case, but a part of him knows that Quinn's story about saving Finn's life must be a sham. What he doesn't know, yet, is what to do with the knowledge. Plus, it's Valentine's Day and he doesn't want to sulk, not when his friends are being so cool – trying to cheer him up and everything. He's sitting on the bench, between Rachel and Mercedes (eating tots because Mercedes said they would make him feel happy, despite the damage to his figure), Santana squeezed next to Tina, when he notices the two brunettes on his right are having a serious conversation.<p>

"Santana, can I just say how sorry I am for what I said the other day? I was angry and I took it out on you. I shouldn't have and I apologize." Rachel seems earnest. She goes on talking, before Santana can shut her up or she loses her nerve. "I know we are not friends and, despite my hopes to the contrary, we probably will never be but… Can't we at least try to be civil towards each other? I really don't like to fight with you all the time."

Sam holds his breath, and the whole table with him, waiting for Santana's reply to the offer. The Latina seems to think about it for a moment, then she smiles a little.

"Fine." Rachel's smile brightens. "But no promises! I'm abrasive, you know it, and if I think you're being a crazy midget I'm going to tell you."

"Deal. And I'll tell you when I think you're being a bitch."

They all gasp, but Santana laughs.

"Deal."

"By the way, I don't think you're going to be a stripper. You're very talented, Santana. And smart."

"And I don't mean… well, the greater part of the things I say to you." Sam snorts and she winks at him. "Now eat your sticks, Berry. Puck would say I'm giving up my bad ass points…" She says the last part in an aggravated mutter, making him laugh again.

Santana isn't so bad, once you get to know her. Sam is happy he came here tonight.

* * *

><p>Rachel isn't sure how she should be feeling. Sad that Finn seems to be interested in Quinn (again)? Or happy because she's never had so much fun on Valentine's Day, despite the lack of a boyfriend? The Warblers just offered their main competition a lovely concert and she is feeling very magnanimous right now. Enough to admit that they are extremely good without having a crazy fit. She loves acapella choirs, they always sound so otherworldly… Yes, she quite likes these boys, despite them having 'stolen' Kurt.<p>

That's why she invites them to join their small gang, to drink or eat something with them. She isn't really in the mood to be bitchy and her deal with Santana is keeping her in line, for now. While the restaurant staff is deciding how to rearrange the tables to make room for their much bigger group, Sam touches her hand, trying to catch her attention. She does her best not to look too sad when she turns to smile at him, but their momentarily shared anguish isn't helping her to find her show face.

"Hey Rach." He says softly, looking for a bit of privacy in the middle of their busy table. "I loved your song today. It was really great."

"Thank you Sam." This smile comes a bit easier.

"Can I ask? How does one become a firework, exactly? Because I could really use the pointer today." He's probably just being cute, but his words cut her deep.

"Oh Sam…" She feels her eyes fill with tears and embraces him as tenderly as she can. The poor boy can certainly use a hug. "But you already are! You are one of the brightest out there."

Sam hides his face in the space where her neck and her shoulder meet. She almost lets the tears fall. Behind him, Mercedes looks at her with a sad smile, smoothing her hand down their friend's back. He seems to forcibly collect himself and when he emerges from the hug he is smiling again.

Rachel looks in front of her, only to notice that Santana is looking at them with a worried expression. She tries to smile at her new 'friend', then asks the table to free a path for her to reach the restroom. She needs a minute.

* * *

><p>Kurt has an inkling his hasn't been the only Valentine's Day that sucked. He takes note of Rachel's admittedly adorable attempt to comfort Sam (he notices she's almost crying herself, too) and he sees the look Mercedes exchanges with a surprisingly agreeable Santana. So he waits until Rachel heads off to the toilets and Sam gets up to help the waitresses move the tables around, taking advantage of the Warblers' (those who stayed) own distraction, to approach his remaining lady friends and ask them what has them all so gloomy.<p>

"Quinn is cheating on Sam with Finn." Santana answers bluntly. Kurt's eyes grow bigger and he looks at Mercedes and Tina. His friends only nod, frowning. "So I gave him mono to prove it."

"You did what?" Kurt cannot believe his own ears. This chick is crazier than he thought.

"Exactly what I said. So now Rachel knows. Hell, everyone knows! I'd bet that, on some level, even Sam knows. Even if Quinn fed him some sort of bullshit about saving Finn's life… Please! How stupid do you have to be to believe something like that?"

Kurt secretly agrees with the comically outraged girl. Finn is still his somewhat-brother, though. He should probably talk to him before he passes judgment, right? Perhaps, but whatever…

"Explain it to me again: Finn refuses to forgive Rachel because she kissed Puck when they were fighting, so technically not together – subjecting us to her endless rants, may I say? – but wants to get back with Quinn, who had a baby with him and lied about it for months?"

"Basically." The other three answer.

"Isn't it, I don't know, a bit of a double standard?"

"You ask him. Rachel is devastated." Tina elaborates for him. "I think today is the first time she actually realized they aren't going to get back together. Despite all those times we talked about it, she probably assumed they'd be able to put things back the way they were. You know how she can be."

Kurt and Santana sigh. They observe as the tables are finally ready. Santana is the one to offer the last remark, before she sits down between Sam and Wes:

"You know I don't really like Rachel. Like, at all. But even I can't look at her when she's so sad. I can't even make fun of her. She said I was going to become a stripper and I couldn't even come up with a nasty retort. It's depressing. I don't think she really deserves it. And Sam certainly doesn't."

The next moment she's gone. Kurt and Mercedes have a silent conversation, enclosed in one look. Kurt nods.

"I'll take care of it." Then he sits down next to Blaine, leaving a chair between himself and Jeff. Mercedes sits in front of him, between David and Simon and Tina joins Mike at the head of the table.

* * *

><p>When Rachel comes back, Mercedes can see at once that she looks better. No doubt she needed a moment to collect herself. Kurt nods with his head for her to sit next to him and Rachel wastes no time before she starts telling him how marvelous he was and how much she enjoyed the Warblers' performance. Blaine, on the other side of Kurt, smiles and leans in to thank her and ask if she's OK. Her boy blushes. It's adorable! She catches the eye of the blond guy next to Rachel and they both have to look away to prevent the laughter from escaping. Kurt notices and glares at her, kicking her under the table.<p>

"Rachel." He interrupts, reclaiming his personal space, "I wanted you and Mercedes to formally meet your telephone pal." He gestures towards the aforementioned blond. "Meet Warbler Jeff. Jeff, meet my favorite divas."

"We are your only divas, white boy." Scoffs Mercedes, smiling at Jeff – who is being studied by a pensive Rachel. Finally she grins a bit and comments:

"So it was true. You're truly a cute little bird…"

The boy sitting in front of Jeff (Trent?) splutters and the one on her other side, whose name is maybe David, chokes on his water. Most likely they weren't there during their phone conversation. Mercedes would help the choking one, he's quite handsome, but she's currently too busy high-fiving Kurt over the table. They feel like proud parents: they worked so hard to teach Rachel how to loosen up! Meanwhile, Blaine's jaw has fallen somewhere in the vicinity of his knees, Simon is trying to dry his tears and Tina and Mike are making an effort to breathe through their laughter. Meanwhile, a smug Rachel and a smirking Jeff are studying each other appraisingly.

"You're pretty and small. And a bit annoying. I like you." He pronounces finally.

"I'm still reserving judgment." She answers haughtily. Then they turn back to the other people seated around the table.

Sassy, perceiving Mercedes, though, notices the look that passes between the blond and his blue-eyed friend (the look of a job well done) and spies the amused smile that's hiding in the corner of Rachel's mouth. It's something. At least she doesn't look so sad anymore. Kurt is a genius. Really not a surprise.

* * *

><p>Artie will never tire of saying it: being the boyfriend of someone as straightforward as Brittany is awesome. First of all, you don't have to go crazy trying to fathom the real meaning behind her words – she says it as it is. Well, fine, maybe sometimes it's quite difficult to follow her bizarre reasoning, but she's hilarious and he loves her for being so scatterbrained. He admires the kindness she always gives her friends, no matter what, and he likes being the one she looks for when she needs help with a particularly difficult assignment. He knows she leans on him even more than on Santana nowadays and it fills him with a strange kind of pride.<p>

When she doesn't say a word while he pays the bill for their dinner, he knows she's thinking hard about something. Her forehead is all crinkled. She looks adorable. He can't stop himself from leaning over and kissing her. It was apparently all she needed to make a seemingly brilliant decision, if the dazzling smile on her face is anything to go by.

"We should go kiss our friends!" She announces brightly. "Everyone deserves to be kissed on Valentine's Day and they look really sad to me. Do they look sad to you, Artie?"

Artie almost laughs. Leave it to Brittany to be inappropriate and endearing in the same sentence. He can't really deny her anything. Not even the less-than-innocent afternoons he knows she spends with Santana…

"OK babe. We can go say goodbye and you can kiss our friends if you want, and Kurt's boy too. But not the other Warblers. OK?"

"Why?" She looks confused. She's smiling, though, which means she probably knows what he's going to say.

"Because you're my duck and I don't want them to steal you away, of course." He's trying to hide his smile – not very successfully, judging from her giggle.

"But you're my ballad, Artie. Nobody can steal me away from you. And if they did, you would come and find me, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would. I love you."

Her smile brightens.

"I love you too. Very much."

She wheels him to the overpopulated table currently occupied by a fusion of glee clubs, announcing brightly:

"We are leaving. I came to give my friends their Valentine's kisses. Because you should be kissed on Valentine's Day." Her words are welcomed by various degrees of consternation and amusement. She leaves him next to Sam and pinches the blond boy's cheeks, causing his mouth to look even bigger, then she kisses his lips with a giggle. Santana's kiss is predictably deeper and longer, making some of the other boys' eyes almost leave their orbits. She kisses Blaine quickly on his lips, before he can object, telling him he has pretty eyes and he should take it easy with the hair gel. Kurt snorts at that. Then he notices Brit has stopped right in front of him with a massive pout. He looks a little apprehensive.

"Boo?"

"You should call me more, Kurtie." She complains. "You're my dolphin ('dolphin?' Sam mouths to Artie. The amused boyfriend shakes his head) and I miss you and your smooth skin and your soft baby hands…" She looks devastated. Artie and Santana exchange a knowing look: she's clearly milking it to see what Kurt is comfortable doing in front of his new friends. It's her way of checking if they are treating him well. Kurt smiles apologetically and presents his hands to her, as a peace-offering. His girlfriend smiles and strokes them gently with her fingers. Then she rubs them on her face and bites one finger. Mercedes snorts. Mike is almost sobbing. One of the Warblers chokes. But it's nothing compared to Blaine's unfocused expression at what Brittany does next: she takes Kurt's delicate jaw in her hands and kisses him. With tongue. Kurt not only lets her, but responds eagerly. It's apparent to all that it's not the first time this occurs. It doesn't hurt that they look gorgeous. Rachel hands Blaine a napkin with a smirk.

"Did I wipe away the other one?" She asks right after. Artie doesn't know what she's talking about and, judging from Kurt's surprised expression, Brittany shouldn't either. She lays one last kiss on the point of his nose and turns to a fond-looking Rachel. They hug for a moment and Brittany kisses her lips for a long minute.

"You taste like strawberries!" She says happily, right against them.

"And you taste like Kurt. A particular taste I never thought I'd experience!" Kurt sneers playfully at them. Rachel smiles and kisses her once more, before she takes her chap stick out of her coat pocket and gives it to the blonde kissing machine. "Here. As a thank you. So you can kiss Artie as much as you want without hurting your lips." She winks at him, while his girl skips off to Mike and Tina, who kiss both her cheeks simultaneously and then kiss each other, to Brittany's delight. Mercedes is the last one and she gets a kiss on the lips and one on each cheek, with a cheery "Pretty 'Cedes!" thrown in for good measure.

She's finally back to him and she sits comfortably on his lap, applying Rachel's strawberry chap stick carefully.

"Time to go?" He asks.

"Yep!" Then, waving while he wheels them towards the door, "Bye bye, my lovelies. Hope to see you soon, pretty birdies!"

"Not her, too!" Groans one of the Warblers. Brittany doesn't hear him, though, she's already focusing on nibbling on his neck while he tries to drive. This girl will be the death of him…

* * *

><p>Santana is still laughing at Brittany's shenanigans, when it registers in her brain that she's surrounded by boys…<p>

Allow her to rephrase that: she's surrounded by really hot boys.

"Well well well!" She exclaims happily. "If it isn't a harem of my very own… Me gusta!" Sam laughs at her obvious pleasure with the seating arrangements, while the others around her seem a little anxious. "I need names, now!"

The boy sitting in front of the one on her left smiles pleasantly.

"I'm Thad. Nice to meet you, miss. And you are…?"

"Santana. My friends call me San."

"Or Satan." Interjects Sam. She kicks him in the sheen.

"You really should stop hanging out with Puck. This is Sam. I call him 'trouty mouth'. ("San!") You asked for it. Now you three I remember. You were the ones who danced with me earlier. What's your name, blondie?" She asks the one directly in front of her. He looks like a bit of a snob. Then he smiles…

"I'm Nathan. And this is Nick." He nods to his left, towards a sweet-looking, hazel-eyed teen.

"Pleasure to meet you both. What about you, other-other-Asian? You hiding a name under that armored shell you probably call hair?" Sam groans in despair, but the boy on her left is chuckling. He's unaffected by her rude-girl façade, apparently.

"I'm Wes. I'm a Warbler Council member – together with Thad and David." He points to the handsome teenager parked between Thad and Mercedes. He looks up at the sound of his name and smiles brightly at her, waving once with his hand and getting back to his conversation with Mercedes and Kurt's man.

"You don't have a teacher who runs the club?"

"No. We run it ourselves."

"Cool. What does a Council do exactly?" Asks Sam, leaning over her to look at Wes.

"We are elected by our peers to be responsible for songs selection, choreography and so on. We also make sure the club meetings run smoothly and assign the solos."

At this, both Santana and Sam frown.

"So it's your fault if Kurt is so sad?" Sam asks directly. In the corner of her eye, Santana can see Blaine sit a bit straighter behind Wes' back. He's pretending not to listen. Unsuccessfully, mind you.

"What do you mean?" Asks a wide-eyed Nathan. They all look comically confused. Santana sighs.

"Have you ever read Peter Pan?" They all nod at once. She's taken aback. She thought she would have to elaborate. "Wow, nerds… Anyway – you see those three, down there?" She points to Kurt, Rachel and Mercedes, who appear to be arguing animatedly (about some kind of Broadway nonsense, undoubtedly). "They are like Tinker Bell. They need applause to live." She's answered by muffled laughter. "So I'm asking you, are you giving Kurt enough applause to keep him healthy? Because we are trusting you with his happiness and, I can assure you, none of us are glad about it." Sam nods gravely.

"I really don't know what you mean." Wes looks as confused as Brittany and Finn during algebra. And that's saying something.

"I have my answer then." She is a little disappointed. They all look decent enough. "Look, I don't mean to be rude now. Really. But I have to say this: your uniforms and your sense of _belonging_ are all very good, but you can't exclude individuality from the equation. You know what I mean? I'm sure Kurt is physically safe at Dalton – that was the whole point of his transfer – but is his talent flourishing? Kurt is like a peacock. He is gorgeous and he knows it, so why shouldn't he flaunt it?"

"Once, I saw him do a duet with himself." Adds Sam helpfully.

"You cannot do a _duet_ with yourself. It's grammatically impossible." Thad points out. He looks a bit bothered by her words.

"Yeah, well, if someone can, that's Kurt. He did Le Jazz Hot from Victor/Victoria. You know, half man and half woman? It was awesome…" Sam is clearly a fan of Kurt's crazier ideas.

"We only heard him do Don't Cry For Me Argentina." Nick seems disturbed by the implications of what they are saying, all of a sudden.

"Oh, yes…" Santana dismisses him with a flick of her wrist. "That is classic Kurt Hummel, but not his best. He's at his best when he has to reinvent himself and be creative. His outfits speak loudly enough, for Heaven's sake. Then again, you wouldn't know, now would you?"

"I don't like what you're implying." Wes is frowning too, now. "We are not trying to kill Kurt's soul! We are an acapella choir – unity is everything to us. Our voices have to sound as if they were coming from a single entity, or we would be a mess!"

"I'm not saying you're not right. And you sound great!" It's possibly the first time in her life that Santana is trying to placate someone. "I'm just saying that for a group of people whose voices live in perfect harmony, you sure don't seem to know each other very well. Discipline is all well and good – I should know, I was a cheerleader, that's all about discipline too – but would it kill you to have some _fun_?"

Under the table, Sam catches one of her hands in his, squeezing reassuringly. She looks at him, surprised, and sees he's smiling approvingly at her. The Warblers seem to be thinking about her words. Her voice softens:

"Look, you're terrific. Really. Just… Maybe you should try to be more like a _family_, you know? I mean, take me and Rachel Berry, down there. We fight constantly. And I really mean nonstop. Hell, nine times out of ten we try to kill each other. But if anyone else tried to hurt her, I would scratch their eyes out." She sees them all shudder at the menace in her voice. Even Sam. It satisfies her more than it probably should. "The point is, I've got her back and she has mine so, if she wants to sing her crazy heart out… whatever! I'll provide backup, no problem! I may moan and groan about it, but I'll do it anyway. Is your club anything like that? Do you go to sleep knowing that, if you wake up with a song in your heart, your people are there to listen to it? Or are you too proper to even ask? It's not enough to be technically perfect, to be really _good_, you know."

They are all looking at her with big, startled eyes – Sam looks like he could probably kiss her, Wes and Thad are lost in their thoughts and Nick is staring a bit sadly at Nathan. God, she just sounded like a total sap! They are so going to revoke her HBIC card…

* * *

><p>Blaine knows that eavesdropping is impolite – his Nana would be so outraged – but the group behind him is talking about Kurt being sad, while said boy is animatedly discussing Wicked with Trent and Rachel, so he feels entitled to listen in. A quick look in front of him shows he's not the only one; David's frown is quite out of place given the current conversation on their end of the table (flying monkeys aren't exactly frown-worthy).<p>

To be honest, now that it's been brought to his attention, Blaine can see how Kurt seems to be revived by the mere presence of his friends. Part of him always thought that, even without the bullying, Kurt would have wanted to transfer to Dalton. He gave the impression of being so charmed by the Warblers that first time they met him. Now that he is finally able to see him in his true element, though, he isn't so sure. In spite of everything, Santana is right: who would want to leave their family to join a group of strangers who don't even seem to want to get to know you? Blaine himself told him not to 'try too hard'. What does it even mean? Can you really try too hard when you are as naturally flamboyant as Kurt? The same song that had appeared so over-the-top to the Warblers is dismissed as being 'classic Kurt Hummel' by his former teammates without a second thought. To them, it's an everyday occurrence to hear his friend belt out Broadway numbers like the rest of the world hums something out of the Top40 under the shower. He calls Kurt one of his best friends, but does he even know him?

Blaine looks beseechingly at David, willing him to hear the questions bouncing inside his head. Are they dimming Kurt's, and every other Warbler's, light? Is their perfectionism clipping the Warblers' wings? Has Blaine himself strayed too far from the boy with the massive curly hair who sang Disney songs at the top of his voice? Didn't David listen to glam rock when he met him? Isn't Wes the one who quoted The Beatles every three sentences? Where have those boys disappeared? Is it going to happen to the others, too? Has it already? Is Kurt going to become just another uniform, like them? His train of thought comes to an abrupt halt. No! Never! Blaine will _never_ let that happen. He'd rather tear out his own vocal chords first.


	3. Ch3: Original Song

A.N.: sorry, I'm a bit late… Here's chapter 3. It's the last actual chapter, since chapter 4 is a bonus with a Warbler/New Direction party. PARTYYY! Ok, enjoy. If you want, drop me a line. Bye!

**Edit:** sorry! Forgot to say that Luke Edgemon's character's name is now Elija (it was Flint, as I found in one of Glee's official forums). I think he looks more like an Elija than a Flint. Sorry for the random update!

Diclaimer: I forgot to say this before, but you all know it anyway. Glee isn't mine.

* * *

><p>"<em>I'll send out a wish<em>

_I'll send up a prayer_

_And finally, someone will see_

_How much I care…"_

_**Chapter 3: Original Song**_

Kurt is still thinking that maybe he has been too hard on Blaine, as he reenters the study hall that seems to be favored by all the Warblers. The thought flies right out of his head, though, when he sees the same perplexed expression on the faces of all his friends. He follows their gazes around the room and he gets it: the floor, the couches, the tables and every other flat surface in the room are covered in paper. It's impossible to distinguish homework from music, notes taken in class from Art assignments. Kurt groans.

"What's with you people and throwing things when you sing? Is it some sort of medical condition I should be aware of?" They have the decency to look sheepish. Even Thad is blushing. Kurt sighs. "Fine! Let's try to sort this mess out. Collect the sheets and put the homework on this table, separated by subject. Do the same on that table with the notes. At least you didn't throw the books this time… Then give Wes all the drawings, he'll probably be able to recognize the owner." Wes nods fervently, probably stunned by Kurt's bossy attitude. Then he sees something in the corner of his eye and turns abruptly, pointing a finger at Blaine. "And you!" The Junior Warbler freezes with one foot outside the door – he's probably trying to escape the 'wrath of Kurt'. "Where do you think you're going? You're the one who started this in the first place! You'll be the one to collect all the music sheets."

"But Kurt-" Blaine tries to protest (more like whines). All the other Warblers fix their frowns on him, daring him to say something. "Yes Kurt…"

"Very good. I need to go back to my French homework – and Nick needs to go back to copying it – as soon as possible." Kurt smirks at Nick's red cheeks. The others hide smiles and chuckles behind their hands.

* * *

><p>David is trying not to laugh at Trent's outraged outburst, when the doors to the council room open to admit a distraught-looking, black-wearing Kurt Hummel. To say that he stuns them all into silence would probably be an understatement. Then he announces the death of their beloved Pavarotti and David has to look away: he's sure that if he looks at one of his friends' sad and incredulous faces, he won't be able to hold back the tears. Kurt is right, it seems stupid to be so upset about a bird, but they loved the little warbler like one of their own and the news of his death hit them all hard. God, someone is going to have to tell Elija, who's already miserable for being sick and unable to perform at Regionals. He was the last one to take care of Pavarotti.<p>

Nobody has anything to say against Kurt's desire to sing for the little bird and David is grateful – his voice is heartbreaking as usual and it's a worthy goodbye for a friend. He is so lost in the song and their harmony (can he just say? They sound awesome even with music in the background), that he almost jumps when Wes puts a hand on his arm to catch his attention. David looks up and his best friend nods towards Blaine with a small smile. He looks at their best soloist and almost stops singing out of surprise. Ah. So he finally sees what's in front of him. A glance at Thad shows his fellow Council member is trying not to laugh at the longing expression because, really, so not the moment!

The song comes to an end, received by the somber silence of the room. At Kurt's tearful "Thank you", Jeff cannot apparently restrain himself anymore, so he jumps over a coffee table and gathers their latest Warbler into his arms.

"Oh Kurtie…" He can hear the usually cheerful teen whisper mournfully, "I am so sorry."

Kurt only tightens his grip around Jeff's ribs, clutching at the back of his blazer. At this, Simon finally stands up and hugs them both with a sob. Nick follows immediately after. Despite knowing that they have the same classes, he is quite surprised by the easy relationship they seem to have.

The room remains silent and Blaine looks as if he doesn't know what to do with himself. On his left, Wes stands up and whispers:

"I'm going to call Elija. Put the meeting on hold, we'll continue tomorrow at lunchtime. I'm sure we all could use a little time."

He leaves the room, phone in hand, and David officially ends the reunion. Not one of the boys moves. David suddenly remembers why he loves being a Warbler so much – they may be too proper, it's true, and perhaps they don't know each other as well as they should, but they are loyal and stay together, no matter what. He couldn't be more proud to be one of them.

* * *

><p>"Why are you so angry?"<p>

Tina is startled out of her musings by Santana's loud question. The Latina is leaning against the piano Tina has been playing distractedly for an hour now.

"I'm not angry." She sighs at the other's raised eyebrow. How to explain? "Not really. I'm just a bit moody, I guess. I hate that we have to compete against Kurt again – there won't be a tie this time, I can assure you. I don't want to lose, though. I mean, last year was horrible when Vocal Adrenaline beat us. It really put us in a funk worst than the first one. I don't think I'm able to settle on a mood. Should I be excited like Mike and Mercedes? Or should I avoid getting my hopes up too much? My feelings are all over the place."

Santana seems a little stunned at the long speech. Well, the fact that Tina is a bit quiet doesn't mean she's mute! She settles on a contemplative sound, moving her eyes to the piano keys.

"Where's your man?" She finally asks.

"I told him I needed a bit of time on my own to think about the competition. He's probably stressing out because I'm not talking about it." She adds with a smile. "What about yours?"

"Don't know. Probably with your boyfriend, Puck and Artie. I swear those four are the strangest group of buddies ever."

"Yeah." They exchange a smile.

"Are you writing a song?" Santana seems to have noticed for the first time that Tina is sitting at the piano.

"Not really, no. I'm a good enough composer but I suck as a lyricist. Plus I don't want the solo this time. I'm not in the right space for it, I guess. I'm afraid I'd just bring everybody else down."

"Wow, girl! You really sound terrible!" Tina laughs a bit at her unusually concerned friend. "Do you want to write the music for my song? I'm the opposite from you: I can write the words, but I'm shit at writing music." She hands over a sheet of paper with some lyrics scribbled on it. Tina reads it over and can't help the laughter from escaping her lips. Santana is smirking smugly.

"Oh my God! Sam is going to kill you!"

"Probably… But his face is going to be priceless!" She's laughing, too. "It will certainly help cheer you up, at least."

Tina thinks about it for a minute, then feels a smirk of her own grow on her lips.

"I think I've got the perfect music for this…"

* * *

><p>A duet, uh? Trent can say, without a doubt, that they've never done that for a competition. He can't deny that he'd have liked to have the part, but he's happy for Kurt. He deserves the spotlight – his voice is, after all, something that should be impossible for a boy older than twelve to possess. Besides, if Blaine's expression is anything to go by, he'd probably eat alive whomever tried to stop him!<p>

Trent is a good observer – his mum always says so – and he sees that the Council is probably thinking along the same lines as him, judging by Wes and Thad's smirks. So they vote, all a bit satisfied by Kurt's incredulous face. In the following flurry of handshakes and congratulations, he walks to Jeff's side.

"Do you know that, if you keep smiling like that, you're going to get wrinkles?"

"Shut up Trent! Don't be mean." The other boy answers merrily. "This is gonna be awesome!"

"It sure is – with the right song. Do you think Blaine's going to get a move on and tell him?" While Trent is speaking, Simon has come to sit next to the blond. He fixes his big blue eyes on him with a wide smile.

"That'd be great! Kurt's been in love with him for months." Jeff and Trent shush him immediately.

"Man!" Exclaims Jeff. "They're both still here!" He gestures towards the two boys, one talking animatedly to David, the other looking on with an air of total worship on his face. Simon scoffs and yells to their smitten lead:

"Be more obvious Blaine! I dare you!"

As everybody turns to face them, Trent hides his face in his hands. This really is a kangaroo court…

* * *

><p>Wes is walking down a corridor with Thad, discussing their last philosophy lesson, when he sees Blaine come out of the students hall commonly referred to as 'the coffee room', a dazed smile adorning his lips and his curls all over the place. Thad snorts next to him and aims straight for the other boy. Wes shakes his head and follows his amused friend.<p>

"What did he say?" Thad asks, face as serious as he can.

"Uh?" Blaine looks as if he didn't see them approaching. He has it bad…

"Kurt. About the song?" The other still looks vague. It takes all his strength not to let the laughter out. "You know, pretty boy, blue eyes, taller than you? You were supposed to tell him about the song we chose for the duet?"

"Oh! Yes!" Blaine seems suddenly on the same planet as the rest of them again. "He was impressed."

"I bet he was." Mutters Thad. At this, Wes is unable to hold it in any longer and bursts out laughing.

"Oh my God! Blaine, your face! Not to mention your _hair_! Were you making out, in there?" He hit bull's-eye, apparently, judging from Blaine's wide eyes and open mouth.

"Are you blushing?" Thad adds, an evil smile on his lips. Then they start laughing again.

"But- How? I mean, I just… _How_?" The ability to speak coherently seems to have left their Junior Warbler. Wes will consider this a success. David is going to be so disappointed he missed it!

* * *

><p>"You are aware we are writing a song that's perfect for Rachel's voice, right?"<p>

Lauren's question makes Will cringe. They've been writing for a while and the song is coming out great, but she's right – it's perfect for Rachel's vocal range. Tina could pull it off, but lately she seems to lack the energy. While Mercedes and Santana's voices are simply _too much_. He's waiting for the explosion, but it never comes. Mercedes only hums and says:

"We are, aren't we?"

There are vague sounds of assent from around the room and he has to ask, despite himself:

"And you are all OK with that?" They can't blame him for having his doubts. "You know she's already singing the ballad, right?"

"Mr. Shue, she was kind of right from the beginning." Mercedes answers with a shrug. "And if you tell her I said this I'll cut you all, but she _is_ our female lead and she probably deserves it, seeing how she's always pushing us to do better."

"Plus we're going against Kurt." Adds Puck, surprising everyone. "I think we need her to drive us on, this time." They all nod at his words. Will isn't sure of what to say, so he directs his attention back to the writing.

"OK, I know we are probably going to use only the two verses and the chorus for the competition, but at this point in the song we need a bridge." He turns to the piano, where Tina, Puck and Brittany have been writing the music. They are, surprisingly, the best composers. "Could you sing the chorus again, please?"

Puck, guitar slung over his shoulder as usual, nods towards Tina and they start singing the chorus to Loser Like Me. They are closing on the last note, when a voice comes from the door of the choir room, a smile evident in it.

"_Hey, you, over there_

_Keep the L up-up in the air!"_

Brittany squeals at Quinn's sudden appearance. The ex-captain points to her with an ease born of endless hours of training.

"_Hey, you, over there_

_Keep the L up, 'cause I don't care!"_

Brittany in turn points to Santana, who rolls her eyes but continues with the improvised cheer:

"_You can throw your sticks, and you can throw your stones_

_Like a rocket, just watch me go!"_

Will doesn't even have time to be stunned by their being so naturally in sync, that they are chanting together,

"_Yeah, L-O-S-E-R_

_I can only be who I are!"_

The room goes obviously mad...

Will is almost inconsolable about the fact that they don't have enough time for this, during the actual performance. He has no doubt that it would make Sue eat her tracksuit collection. Oh well, he's got no doubts that a copy will find its way to her office…

* * *

><p>"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be writing a song with Rachel?"<p>

Leave it to Santana to bring everybody back to Earth.

"We were talking and I think something I said inspired her. So I sent her home to write in peace." Quinn hopes her nonchalance is believable. Right now she has her will alone to protect her – she doesn't want them to see how sad she actually feels.

"Let's hope it's better than the first two!"

Finn's attempt at humor makes her want to slap him. It's his fault she and Rachel aren't able to stay friends for more than a couple months in a row. So they'll forgive her brusque tone when she answers:

"I think she has it, this time. I reckon I gave her something to sing about." She gives Finn such a meaningful look that he shuts up immediately.

"What did you tell Rachel?" He asks her later, when they leave glee club. His accusing tone is so not welcome right now.

"_I_ didn't tell her anything. She asked me if we were back together and I told her." She raises a hand to stop him from interrupting. "If you think I'm going to lie to her, because you feel guilty, you've got another thing coming. I know you all think I'm some kind of ice-princess, but I hate that I'm not allowed to be her friend. We actually get along with each other quite well, did you know? But it never lasts and it's _your_ fault. _You_ are the one who isn't able to make a choice and stick with it! And I'm sorry, I know we both hurt you, but you've been hurting us, too. The only difference is, you don't seem to be aware of it."

"I'm sorry…" He is unable to look her in the eye, apparently. Quinn sighs. She knows she should be thinking about the prom and the fact that she evidently won, since Finn wants to be with her. Right now, however, she is fed up with it all and can't seem to erase Rachel's sad eyes from her memory.

"I love you Finn, I really do. Sometimes, though, I don't know if it's worth the heartache."

* * *

><p>The next morning, Tina and Brittany are walking down the hallway, discussing colored highlights. Tina finds it a bit strange, spending so much time with the blonde. Since she and Santana had some kind of fall-out, though, they've been enjoying each other's company quite often. Not that she minds it – Brittany is hilarious and always full of surprisingly insightful observations. She gets why Artie is so taken with her.<p>

"I can give you purple ones, if you want. Mine will be blue." She offers.

"Really?" The other girl looks elated.

"Sure. They'll both look great with our light blue dresses."

"Yay!" Brittany cheers loudly, launching herself into Tina's arms.

She's laughing and trying to free herself from the incredibly strong grip at the same time, when their phones go off.

"It's a text from Rach. She says she needs me to go to the choir room." Brittany sounds a bit perplexed.

"Yeah, mine too." They look at each other and shrug. "Come on, let's go see what she wants."

They enter the music room to find a Rachel Berry whose eyes are red-rimmed and whose gaze is fixed on something that isn't really there. Not exactly a familiar sight. Brittany gasps and runs to hug her.

"Rach! You've been crying! Why? Do you want me to call Puck to kick their butt?" She sounds frantic and Rachel raises her gaze to Tina, clearly looking for an explanation she doesn't have. So she shrugs.

"I'm fine, honey, I promise." She tries to reassure the other girl (who is still clinging to her, it needs to be noted). "It's just that I slept very little tonight. I was up until late, finishing my song. That's why I called you here. I wanted to ask if you two would sing the supporting vocals."

She looks up at Tina, who is _really_ stunned now.

"Why us?" She asks before she can stop herself. Rachel shrugs a bit.

"Why not? You have the perfect range for it and, I don't know, I feel as if you could both really use it. You can say no of course, if you really don't want to, I just ask that you listen to the song first, OK?"

They both nod – Brittany very enthusiastically – and Rachel sits at the piano, handing them music sheets with their parts underlined. When she starts to sing, Tina is taken aback; the music is beautiful and the words are heartbreaking, but she was right. They touch something inside her that she didn't know was there to be touched. They back her up and their voices go together beautifully, as Rachel predicted, creating something really special. By the end of it, Brittany is in tears and Tina and Rachel are trying very hard to stop their own from falling. They find themselves hugging, without really knowing how they got there, and Tina whispers:

"Of course we'll sing with you…"

* * *

><p>Mercedes is starting to worry. Rachel has been looking outside the bus window since the beginning of the trip. No singing, no nagging, not even one small pep talk. Of course, listening to her song was enough to understand how really deeply she actually feels and is hurt by everything that happens to her, but Mercedes has always been firm in her belief that Rachel can rise again, in spite of anything. Her vacant stare, especially mere hours before Regionals, is creeping her out. Judging by the stares Puck and Lauren are giving her from the seats facing theirs, she isn't the only one who's feeling it.<p>

She takes the other girl's hand, hoping to get through to her that they are really friends now and she can talk to her, if she wants to. Rachel finally turns away from the window and smiles for a moment, going immediately back to her sightseeing. Mercedes sends Puck a desperate look – they need Rachel back and now! He needs to do something. Puck frowns and stands up a bit from his seat, looking at something in the back of the bus. Mercedes follows his gaze to see he's making sure that Finn and Quinn are asleep. She isn't positive she knows why.

"Yo, Berry." He calls. She looks at him immediately. "You are giving us the creeps. Either you sing about it or you stop sulking, because this silent shit you're pulling is not kosher. Got it?"

Mercedes and Lauren are astounded by his bluntness and the total lack of tact. Rachel, on the other hand, appears completely unaffected.

"Fine." She grumbles. "I happen to have a song inside right now, but I'd rather _they_ didn't hear it."

"Already checked." He replies immediately, and Mercedes gets why he made sure beforehand. "They're both sleeping."

Rachel looks at her, maybe to confirm she doesn't mind, who knows, so she tries to appear supporting. Rachel breaths deeply and starts singing softly:

"_Hands touch,_

_Eyes meet,_

_Sudden silence,_

_Sudden heat,_

_Hearts leap in a giddy whirl-_

_He could be that boy_

_But I'm not that girl."_

Ah… Wicked. She and Kurt can be so similar sometimes, it's almost spooky. She has to admit the song is disturbingly fitting, given the situation. After the first verse, Santana's head emerges from the seats right behind, clearly drawn by the sound of Rachel's voice, that had had been so peculiarly silent until that moment. She gives them a dubious look, then shrugs and gives Rachel a bit of backup. The other girl looks at her with a pleasantly surprised smile. They all fall silent when they recognize the verse that's been probably bouncing inside Rachel's head for a while. The whole bus seems to be quietly listening to the sad song.

"_Blithe smile, lithe limb-_

_She who's winsome, she wins him-_

_Gold hair with a gentle curl,_

_That's the girl he chose_

_And Heaven knows_

_I'm not that girl…"_

Rachel is choking up, despite her valiant efforts to keep smiling. This time all the girls, apart from Quinn who's still sleeping blissfully, sing to help her get to the end. Mercedes thinks it's wonderful, how they're all trying to get along and keep the drama to a minimum, this time. She catches Mr. Shue's eye and nods an 'I'll take care of it' towards him.

"_Don't wish,_

_Don't start,_

_Wishing only wounds the heart._

_I wasn't born for the rose and the pearl._

_There's a girl I know,_

_He loves her so-_

_I'm not that girl..."_

* * *

><p>Puck can see all too well how everyone is trying to create a sort of buffer between Rachel and the happy (again) couple. Mercedes has been glued to her side and Artie and Brittany have been talking to her nonstop. So he does his part, sitting with Lauren right in the middle, acting as a wall between the characters of this ridiculous teen drama. He knows he's kind of part of it! Whatever, so not the point. He's so distracted by his thoughts that, at first, he forgets to pay attention to Aural Intensity's performance – that's why, when Rachel looks at him with an incredulous smile, he shushes her. Two seconds later, the words have finally reached his brain and he does a double-take.<p>

"Wait, what? Jesus?" From his left comes Rachel's delighted laughter, undoubtedly directed at his face, from his right, Lauren's shocked voice.

"You've got to be kidding me." She turns to look at him. "Are they for real?"

This sends both Puck and Rachel into another laughing fit.

"Wait… Is that a Star of David?"

* * *

><p>Will is aware that he should be worried right now. After all, the Warblers are amazing performers and his kids' mightier opponents. He's so proud of Kurt, though, that he really can't bother with it. They'll worry later. The kids seem to be thinking the same thing, judging by Rachel and Mercedes' elated grins at their friend's first solo, or by Puck's tears… He swears, he will never understand that boy! The two boys currently singing a truly moving duet, though, <em>them<em> he understands. He can recognize love when he sees it and Kurt and Blaine are definitely in love. He couldn't be happier for his former student, he absolutely deserves his moment.

It's the second song that shows him the real power of an acapella choir, though. The song is fast paced, but their rhythm and harmonies are impeccable. They're even able to follow a bit of choreography. Knowing how hard it is to make a group of boys dance decently, he can admire the results. Will is relieved to see Rachel smile and dance again. He was worried there for a bit. He sends Kurt a silent thank you, for being able to influence the girl's moods even from a distance. So what if he applauds louder than is probably expected from the director of a rival show choir? The Warblers are good and Will is man enough to admit it – he really misses his countertenor.

* * *

><p>Blaine feels as if he could fly. Who knew that sharing the spotlight could be so rewarding? Usually, he's the kind of person that gathers greedily all the attention he can get. He can't help but think that he would give it all up on the spot, if only Kurt kept looking at him with those impossible, crystal eyes. He sounds like a lovesick fool, so what? He is in love, this time for real, and the other person loves him back. He could shout from the top of a mountain right now. He could sprout wings and fly, if Kurt asked him to.<p>

Their performance is flawless, the energy incredible, the audience seems to love them. Kurt's old glee club is among the loudest and he has to give it to them – they are good guys. They love Kurt unconditionally and he considers them friends, to be honest. He is really happy to see them cheer for what should, for all intents and purposes, be their competition. Raise Your Glass seems to go by in a flash and he finds himself following the other Warblers back to the green room, where they're going to rest for a minute, before returning the favor and going to give a standing ovation to the New Directions.

Blaine grabs Kurt's hand before he can go inside and drags him to a quiet corner. He must look a bit feverish, still on his performance high, because his boyfriend (oh, God, his _boyfriend_!) looks at him with concern written all over his face.

"Blaine, are you feeling good?" He asks softly, feeling his forehead for a temperature. He grabs the soft hand (Brittany is totally right) and kisses the palm, still smiling. He thinks he's unable to stop, at this point.

"You were incredible back there." He blurts out. Kurt's frown turns into a sweet smile. "I loved singing with you and we should do it more often, if you're OK with that. And I wanted to say that, even if we don't win, I think we were awesome and I'm so very happy that I could share this moment with you. Because you're my Kurt- I mean my boyfriend. Kurt. And I need to shut up now." Said boyfriend (whose name is Kurt, you got that?) is clearly amused, judging from the soft laughter he's trying to prevent from escaping. Unsuccessfully, one might add.

"Honey, you're rambling." He points out gently. "Who's adorable now?"

Then he puts his hands around Blaine's neck, using the leverage offered by his (only slightly superior, thank you very much!) height to draw him into a deep kiss. Oh yes, Blaine is _so_ right… Best. Night. Ever.

* * *

><p>Artie is observing the scene unfolding in front of him, as Rachel walks away from an unsurprisingly confused Finn – unsure of what he should do next. Yes, he told his distressed girlfriend that he'd take care of it, but he doesn't know if their lead singer would prefer to have a moment to herself. He sure would.<p>

"I know we're supposed to be friends and that he's my captain twice over," Sam's voice, suddenly above his head, startles him. "But – right now? – I really want to punch him."

Artie can only sigh and nod, unfortunately. Right now, he kind of agrees with Sam. Especially when he can see the effort it's taking their resident diva to regain her composure.

"Come on." He tells the blond boy, who currently has a death grip on the handles of his chair, "I reckon we should at least try to cheer her up a bit."

Thankfully the sudden appearance of their, by now very familiar, jazz ensemble prevents her from getting to far. She stops to talk to them for a minute, allowing her two pursuers to catch up.

"I just wanted to thank you guys." Rachel is saying, bright smile firmly in place again. "You aren't even in the club and you're always so ready to lend us a hand. You don't know how much we appreciate it."

Kyle, their bassist, looks up into Artie's eyes, mildly alarmed by Rachel's sudden need to express her gratitude.

"Hey guys!" He intervenes. "Do you remember the first time I asked you to play for us?"

They all groan, even Rachel, and Sam asks him why.

"Tina and I were in the band and when we joined glee, we asked them to help. You can't always use prerecorded bases. They kinda suck." This is received by a collective grumble of approval. "They weren't so keen on it, to be honest, and more than once I thought they'd leave us stranded."

"But you grew on us." Interjects Leo, the drummer. "You're a strange bunch. Really dramatic, mind you, but we like you. The fact that you force us to learn to play all kinds of musical genres is welcome, too."

"We are not a club that engages in competitions." Kyle explains to Sam. "There is the occasional Battle of the Bands, of course, but it's not like this. We can't be part of the club, of course, since none of us can sing to save their life, but we don't mind putting ourselves at your disposal, if you need some help."

"Oi guys!" Calls their ginger lead guitarist, Charlie, from the stage door. "We gotta set up now!" Then he waves at them and winks at Rachel. "See you on the other side Rach! You're going to blow them away."

"You really are." Sam assures her, before she can follow the band to take her place at the entrance on the other side. Rachel looks at them with big, scared eyes. Sam smiles gently and hugs her, making her petite frame almost disappear in his arms.

Artie fixes her with a stern look and gestures for her to sit a moment on his lap. She obliges and leans in, so that he can whisper in her ear.

"You're going to be spectacular and you know it! You're Rachel Berry, for Heaven's sake! Try to remember it." She fixes a pleasantly surprised stare on him and smiles brilliantly, standing up and smoothing her dress.

"You know what? You're right Artie. I'm freaking Rachel Berry and I'm going to bring the place down! Don't wish me luck, I really don't need it." And she's off.

On his left, Sam explodes in peals of laughter.

"Oh my God! She's definitely something else…"

"She sure is." He answers with a laugh of his own. A minute later, Mikes comes to tell his blond friend they should probably take their places on the other side and Sam follows him with a last wave goodbye.

Rachel is going strong, as expected, when Puck comes up to his side and gives him a bro fist.

"You did great there, man." He says approvingly. Artie nods, smiling as Rachel touches a beautiful high note.

"Word…"

* * *

><p>Rachel's song is achingly beautiful, Kurt has no qualms in admitting it. It's the simple truth. It takes him a moment to understand that his friends have actually written original songs to perform at Regionals. It really seems impossible to fathom, they went along long enough to actually create something. When he tells Blaine, his boyfriend looks at him with a small smile that looks almost like a grimace.<p>

"We are a bit fucked, aren't we?" He asks. "I mean, if the opening number is at this level, what's the group song going to be like?"

He is saved from having to answer (he fears Blaine might be right) by a suspicious sniff, coming from Blaine's other side. They both follow the sound to find a plainly moved Jeff, drying a tear with the sleeve of his blazer. On his right, Robert his looking at him with wide, incredulous eyes.

"Jeff, are you OK?" Blaine asks him gently.

"She sound so sad… Why is she so sad, Kurt?" He says forlornly.

"Oh Jeff…" Kurt sighs, shaking his head at his strange friend. At that precise moment, Rachel hits an outstanding crescendo, making the whole audience erupt in cheers. Jeff his on his feet in a moment, clapping so hard, Kurt is seriously worried for the skin of his hands.

"You are all crazy… You cannot tell me I'm wrong." Blaine's nervous laugh is answer enough.

* * *

><p>Before saying goodbye to each other, back in Lima, the girls agree to meet the next evening for a quiet gathering at Mercedes' house. Brittany volunteers to call Kurt and ask him if he'd like to join them.<p>

So the next afternoon, after she finds her phone in the laundry basket, Brittany calls her favorite boy to see if he wants to see them.

"Boo?" He sounds surprised to find her call. Strange.

"Hi Kurtie! Are you free later? We girls are all meeting at Mercedes' at six. Want to come?" Kurt doesn't answer immediately and she's scared he might refuse, so she adds very fast, "Rachel promised she wouldn't talk about yesterday. We only want to see you. Please honey, say you'll come!"

From her phone comes the sound of Kurt's laughter. Brittany sighs in relief.

"Of course I'll come, sweetheart!" He says fondly. She hears the sound of another boy's voice, asking Kurt who's on the phone. "It's my most favorite girl in the whole world!"

Brittany laughs when she hears Blaine shout "Hi Britt!" into Kurt's cell.

"Hello, pretty eyes!" She answers. Kurt laughs again.

"Britt, sweetie, I'll probably be late, though. I have to take care of something, later today. I'll see you afterward at Mercedes', alright?"

"Don't worry, I'll tell the others so they won't fuss."

"Thank you. See you later, honey."

"Bye Kurtie. Say goodbye to Pav for me, too."

Brittany presses the button to disconnect before she can hear Kurt's incredulous laugh.


	4. BC: Warbling In A New Direction

A.N.: I'm a terrible person! I'm so late… I intended to finish this before the final episodes, seeing this is canon compliant only to "Original Songs". I'm so sorry. Real life can be a real bitch sometimes. I did it, though! Here's the bonus chapter I promised. Warning: it's song-heavy. I apologize in advance, but a Glee party needs songs. One last thing: I'm happy to say that I saw _For Good_ coming for a long time, so it's here in a different contest from what we'll see next week, but it was always there and necessary to my plot, so I left it there. This is for my new friend Katy, whom I adore.

Come talk to me on tumblr! We could be friends! I'm thispagealone

* * *

><p>"<em>So if you're too school for cool,<em>

_And you're treated like a fool,_

_You can choose to let it go_

_We can always, we can always,_

_Party on our own…"_

_**Chapter 4: Warbling In A New Direction**_

Will Schuester is, as usual, swept away by the unstoppable wave of Rachel's words. This time, though, Mercedes is right next to her, with arms crossed and frown firmly in place, nodding along to what her friend is saying.

"…and I explained to them that we weren't trying to rub our victory in their faces, we just want to have a nice evening together. Kurt and Blaine wanted to accept immediately, of course, but they thought that maybe they should ask the Warbler Council first. We just got their text: they're all coming." Finally she takes a breath, seemingly for the first time since she started speaking. "We did our part, Mr. Schue. Did you do yours?"

The other kids tune back in on the conversation, sensing the end of Rachel's long speech, and all their stares are fixed on him. Will feels a bit as if he's not really the teacher here.

"Of course I did." He answers promptly, keeping his confident smile in place, "I went to Figgins and asked for use of the gym on Thursday evening, seeing as it's still free from Cheerio practice. He agreed and offered the low stage we use on assembly days." They all cheer. He laughs. "Apparently it pays for something, a win at Regionals." It gets the laughter he was looking for. "How do you want to organize it?"

"I was thinking tables for the food." Says Quinn, writing on her organizer. "And chairs, but not too many, we can easily use the lower raises of the bleachers."

"Yes, I agree." Interjects Rachel. "We also need the stage steps we use on performances. Who knows where those are?"

"I do." Answers Lauren. "They are in the A/V Department."

"It's going to be an epic party!" Sam says happily. From the rest of his Glee Club rises a cheer that, Will is sure, can be heard from the other side of the building.

Never mind! They harmonize perfectly on any occasion, it's no big deal.

* * *

><p>Wes has to admit to being a little dubious to the idea of accepting New Directions' invitation to their party. Are they really already at a point where it's no big deal to celebrate their competition's win? The guys' enthusiasm at Kurt and Blaine's proposal, though, doesn't leave him much chance to refuse, does it?<p>

He is ready to acknowledge his misgivings the moment they enter McKinley High's gym. Everybody is so unmistakably happy to see each other, that he has to concede. He sees Thad and Trent are speaking with Mr. Schuester, who is obviously welcoming them, while David talks to Kurt's friend Mercedes. Kurt and Blaine are laughing at what the blonde girl who kissed them on Valentine's Day is saying and Jeff and Simon are talking animatedly with Rachel, Nick looking bewildered at their wild gesticulation.

"So they convinced you to come, uh?"

Wes turns to his right, to find a smirking Santana with Sam's arm around her shoulders. He can't help the smile from showing – he so called it.

"What makes you think they had to convince me?"

"Please!" She scoffs. "You look too relieved for a party. You know, our glee club is so hated and ridiculed here, that we would never invite who we consider among the few friends we have, just to gloat. We are happy we won, mostly because it means we are safe for another year. Last year, at this time, we were crying about the principal's decision to cut our funds. We honestly just want to have fun with you guys, because we like you." She is smiling now, her hand on his shoulder. "So you can relax. We are going to party and we are probably going to sing a lot since Rachel and Kurt are here, but nothing else, OK?"

"Why are you always trying to reassure me? You don't look like the nurturing type, to be honest."

Sam laughs at Santana's spluttering and she elbows him in the ribs.

"Shut up! You look like a stick in the mud. I figured you need all the help you can get."

The Jazz Ensemble making their entrance and getting their instruments ready prompts the guy in the wheelchair (Artie?) to shout, preventing Wes from answering to her cheek,

"Yo Rachel! Kurt wants to hear Loser Like Me again. The long version."

The girl claps happily and calls for her friends to get ready. Santana sighs but goes without protesting. The Warblers sit down to better enjoy the performance. After all, this guys really are brilliant.

* * *

><p>Kurt sits between Blaine and Elija, while his friends perform their original song for him.<p>

"I kinda see why we lost, if they sang this." Elija whispers in his ear. "They really are good, I have to admit."

"They are." He answers, the pang he associates with missing his old glee club making itself known in his chest. It must be all over his face, because Elija asks:

"Do you miss them that much?" There's no judging in his eyes, so Kurt doesn't feel guilty in admitting that he does. Very much.

"You have to understand something." He explains a minute later, taking advantage of the chaos that follows the performance, when everybody talks over each other. "They were there when I was afraid of who I was. They accepted me when I wasn't sure I could accept myself. They aren't perfect, not even one bit, but they're still my family and I love them."

"I see." His friend nods. Kurt shakes his head.

"Do you really? There's something that the Warblers, despite the wonderful sense of being part of something they give you, lack entirely. We assimilate one another, trying to become part of an organic group, but we don't nurture our differences. For example, I know you're a beautiful person and we get along with each other wonderfully, but I don't really know what makes you special. Do you have a secret love for gardening? Are you in love? Have you traveled all around the world? Being part of New Directions made me feel special, mostly because of what made me different from the others. For example, I know that Santana secretly likes chick-flicks, Artie wants to become a director and Rachel's worst fear is ending up alone, and not losing her chance to be on Broadway like she'd want everyone to think. I won't lie. I miss that sharing atmosphere."

Thankfully, Quinn calls him away before he can see Blaine's expression at what he just admitted. He fears his boyfriend might be very sad to know that he still doesn't feel like he belongs completely at Dalton. He likes it there, he really does. Everybody is nice and friendly, because that's just who they are, but he misses his friends deeply. Quinn's question distracts him from his musings.

"So, tell us Kurt, how did these guys win you over?" They are standing among a mixed group of Warblers, New Directions and band members. All eyes are on him. He loves it. "If I remember correctly, you had a dreamy expression on your face for days after you went to 'spy' on them."

Everybody snickers and Kurt feels a smirk stretch his lips. This is going to be great.

"You really want to know?" They all nod eagerly. Kurt smiles and addresses the whole room, shouting. "Warblers!" They all turn to look at him. "They want to know how you managed to charm me."

They all laugh and Blaine asks:

"Teenage Dream?"

"Teenage Dream." Confirms Kurt. They all take their place on the stage, while he gets comfortable on a chair. After the first verse, he can see all the girls have hearts in their eyes and even the boys look a bit smitten.

"Yeah… I get it." Quinn says, leaning on his shoulder.

"I'm sure you do." He says. "They made me smile so much that day… I think it had been months since I last really smiled." Quinn looks at him seriously and takes his hand. They don't need to say anything else.

* * *

><p>Blaine is sitting on the bleachers with Kurt, Mercedes, Rachel, Wes, Nick, Sam and Santana, who is regaling them with tales about Sue Sylvester's madness. He met her, so he believes every word.<p>

"You know what I really miss about her?" She says suddenly. "Her fixation for Madonna."

Kurt and the girls nod sagely. Rachel suddenly smiles mischievously and looks at him. He sees nothing but trouble there.

"You remember Madonna-week last year?" She catches Santana's eye, who seems to catch on immediately. Her voice is loud enough to attract the attention of her friends. Meanwhile Mercedes groans and buries her face in her hand. Kurt looks totally oblivious.

"It was a great week!" He says enthusiastically. "You girls did a great rendition of Express Yourself. I only wish you could have been there when Mr. Schue made the boys do What It Feels Like For A Girl. You would have been charmed."

"Yeah Kurtie, not really what I meant." Rachel says innocently. Kurt finally takes a look at her and seems to understand what's going on. He looks around at the eager faces of his former club and sees the band is already taking place at their corner of the stage.

"Oh no." He says emphatically. "Absolutely not. I refuse."

At that everybody starts to chant "4 Minutes! 4 Minutes!" to Blaine's bewilderment and Sam's delight, apparently. Finally Mercedes laughs and drags Kurt to the stage.

"You want to see this from a better position, believe me." Rachel tells him, grabbing his hand and dragging him in front of Kurt and Mercedes.

"Did you know they were cheerleaders for a while?" Santana asks. He is surprised and it must show. "Kurt there won us Nationals last year."

"5-6-7-8!" Yells Mr. Schuester and then something happens that has Blaine's jaw trying to reach his knees…

OK, remember when he said Kurt couldn't pull _sexy_ during a performance? He takes it all back. God, please let him take it back! Kurt has taken off his long sleeved, sky blue shirt, leaving him in his jeans and a burgundy t-shirt that agrees beautifully with Mercedes' mauve top. He's sure Mercedes has messed with his hair, too – judging from the way they look a bit disheveled, like when he lets Blaine rake his fingers through them when they kiss… OK, stop there! The point is, he looks hot. And confident. And Blaine is kind of turned-on right now.

"I feel your pain buddy." Santana tells him, mock-sympathy all over her face. She and Rachel laugh merrily and high five.

"Evil women…" He mutters. But really, they have a point. The question is, can you blame him?

* * *

><p>They've finally reached a lull in the performance front and Artie is enjoying the food, while talking with Nathan and Dean about the possibility to go to film school after graduation. At the same time, he's keeping an eye on his girlfriend, who's been talking conspiratorially with Rachel and Tina for the last five minutes. He's man enough to admit that those three together really worry him to no end. Finally Brittany jumps excitedly and runs to him, sitting on his lap and leaning in to whisper in his ear.<p>

"Honey we need five minutes to get ready for something. You have to distract everyone, while we go behind the curtain to change."

"How am I supposed to do it?" He asks. She only smiles and shrugs.

"I'm sure you'll find an awesome way. I trust you." And with a final kiss, she's gone. Artie sighs and Nathan and Dean look at him curiously. "Sometimes it's really hard to be friends with these girls." He explains. They only look more confused. Artie smiles and turn his chair around. "Hey Sam! Why don't you grab your guitar?"

It has the desired effect: everybody is looking at him, leaving the girls (minus Lauren, who smiles and shakes her head) free to grab Kurt and Mike and run backstage. Artie grabs Puck's guitar and takes advantage of his leaning down to take it from his hands to whisper,

"The girls need five minutes. Billionaire. Long version."

Puck nods and tells Finn to get behind the drum set.

"Do you choir boys ever sing just for fun?" He asks the room at large. Mr. Schue slaps his own forehead at Puck's lack of tact. Brad laughs. Nobody seems offended, though, maybe a bit confused at the question. "I mean, you can play right? Not just sing? We like to have jam sessions to relax after a hard day. My favorite was probably when me and Artie mashed up One Love with People Get Ready. It was great." Artie knows he's only talking so much to buy the girls more time. The boy is anything but chatty.

"Yeah, it was." He interjects. "But you know what I really liked? The one we did the first time Sam sang with us, remember? Come on, hit it!"

"_I wanna be a billionaire so freaking bad_

_buy all of the things I never had_

_I wanna be on the cover of Forbes magazine_

_smiling next to Oprah and the Queen"_

Sam sings happily and everybody is immediately taken with the song, Artie is happy to see. They haven't even realized that the girls are gone, yet. All but Blaine, apparently, who is looking at him with a small frown and a look that says 'I know what you're doing, now give me back my boyfriend.'

Artie smiles at him and sings his part and everybody laughs. Come the chorus, they're all singing. He nods for Puck to go on, while he keeps an eye on the curtain for a sign from his girl. Finally, when the last chorus is almost over, her pale hand appears between the black curtains. First she wriggles her fingers, causing him to almost burst out laughing, then she shows him two fingers and disappears again. They need a little more time. He is curious to see what they're up to. Judging by the lace gloves and the fact that Leo is urgently shooing Finn away from the drums, he has an idea…

* * *

><p>Mike is talking with David and Jeff, who are apparently very good dancers, when his girlfriend appears out of nowhere and drags him away, with a cheerful "Sorry guys, we'll be back soon!" directed at his new friends.<p>

"Where are we going?" He asks wearily.

"We are doing Gaga again."

"What do I have to do with it?"

"Don't know." She shrugs, "Rach said to bring you, so I'm bringing you."

'Since when Rachel's word is law?' He asks himself, then he goes with the flow.

When they reach the backstage, he sees the girls are oooh-ing and aaah-ing about the fact that Rachel and Mercedes kept their Gaga outfits in the costume department, complete with all the accessories. He can see Tina's bubble dress with the blond wig and Kurt's crazy silver outfit with the impossible heels.

"Do we really have to?" Said boy is whining. "These guys actually respect me!"

"Don't be silly, they'll love it!" Rachel scolds him.

"Plus, it's time they got to know the wild side of you." Santana adds with a smirk.

"Why am I here?" He thinks it's time somebody answered the question.

"Oh, yes!" Rachel says excitingly. "Quinn, Mercedes, remember when we went to spy on Vocal Adrenaline and they were doing that number with the red outfits?" The other two nod immediately. "Well, Jesse left his at my house." With that she takes an outfit made up of trousers, long shirt, sneakers and crazy hat out of her bag. Everything is red and made of lace. Some of it is see-through. Mike loves it!

"Good luck in getting this back, buddy!" Rachel adds smugly and everybody laughs.

They all change quickly, since the song on the other side of the curtain seems to be almost at half-point. Mike thinks it's a testament to how used they are to performing together, that nobody even asks him to turn around while they take their clothes off. He does anyway, it's the polite thing to do and probably the reason why they trust him in the first place.

"I asked Mr. Schue to man the lights." Tina says, while Rachel and Quinn fix her wig. At the same time, Kurt is attaching Quinn's pink extensions and Brittany's black ones and Santana is securing Mercedes' purple wig, while the other girl straightens the gigantic black bow on her head. They look awesome. Now he understands why Kurt always tried to sneak among the girls for the mash-ups. They are like a well-oiled machine. He's impressed.

"Great, T. Good idea." Says Kurt. "Mike, honey, come here." He beckons then, "Your crown is really crooked."

Mike goes obediently and lets his friend adjust his costume. Then he laughs and fixes Kurt's Mozart wig.

"So was your hair! Do you have a hairpin?"

Finally, they all wear their shoes and look at each other appraisingly.

"We all look perfect." Rachel finally pronounces with a nod, asymmetrical sunglasses in hand. "Quinn, I've got your pink eyelashes here. Santana, you forgot your lacey mask ("Shit! Thanks Rach!"). Brittany, give Artie the signal before you wear the lobster, or you'll get tangled in the curtain. Again." The blonde skips happily to follow her directions. Rachel and Kurt do a last check of everyone's costumes before they nod. "Are you ready?"

They all nod and Mike has to laugh,

"You didn't even ask me if I know the choreography!"

Seven perfect eyebrows are raised at him and he knows then, these girls (and boy) notice him. Probably they even know him. Artie's voice, presenting them, sends them into a small panic – they get into position just in time. Mike smiles to himself under the red lace covering his face – these boys, no matter their tastes, don't know what's going to hit them because, let's face it, they look fierce.

* * *

><p>Jeff is a sharp boy, there's no denying, and he notices immediately that Billionaire, despite being very fun, is just a pretext to distract everybody from the fact that almost all the girls, and Kurt and Mike, are gone. He also notices Artie's furtive glances to the stage curtain, as if he's waiting for something. That's also why he catches a pale hand covered in black lace giving him some kind of complicated signal.<p>

Oooh, they're up to something, and if Artie's excited smile is anything to go by, it's going to be awesome. Said boy asks for everybody to take a seat in front of the stage and faces them, ready to give a speech, apparently.

"If you could give me a moment of your attention? Thank you." He starts, bowing his head. "As you all know, a big part of a performance is how you present it to the audience. Some of us point to minimalism to highlight our vocal power." Here he nods to the Warblers. "Others think that _theatricality_ is the best way to reveal to the world what a real show is all about. The New Directions boys once did it wearing black outfits and crazy hair and make-up, giving homage to the genius of Kiss." Said boys cheer. "But, as they very well know, the real tribute to theatricality was given by the girls and Kurt, who walked around the school for a whole week dressed up as the divine Lady Gaga, affirming their right to their individuality." Here he stops a moment to let that image sink in. Many gasp. Jeff and Robert look at each other and grin eagerly. "So, without further ado, let me have the honor to present to you our Little Monsters: Brittany, Kurt, Mercedes, Mike, Quinn, Rachel, Santana and Tina. Enjoy!"

He rolls to the side and the gym goes suddenly dark. In the silence that ensues, Kurt's voice resonates:

"_Oh, caught in a bad romance_

_Oh, caught in a bad romance"_

And the lights switch back on. The first thing he notices is the height of Kurt's heels, because it's honestly impossible not to see them. Isn't he going to hurt himself if he falls from those? Judging from the ease he displays while dancing in them, though, he clearly had time to rehearse. Second, he sees the silver lobster on Brittany's head and he has to laugh, she looks awesome and surprisingly not crazier than usual. They all look beautiful, to say the truth, and Rachel and Santana are downright hot. What? He likes black, OK?

When Kurt's voice stands out powerfully over Quinn's sweet tones to shout,

"_'Cause I'm a freak, baby!"_

Jeff cheers loudly and turns to punch Blaine's shoulder. His friend looks like someone took a hammer to his head – it's hilarious!

"Blainey, you got a wild one there!" He says cheerfully. Blaine turns to look at him with a smitten expression all over his face.

"He's wonderful, isn't he? And hot. Really, really hot."

"He sure is!"

What else can he answer to that? It's the simple truth. They all look hot. Jeff walks to Artie's side and asks:

"Is that how every week is for you guys?"

Artie laughs and shrugs.

"Yeah. Almost. When we're not busy arguing with each other. And sometimes even then!"

"I think I want to transfer here…"

Artie's laughter at his wistful comment is lost among the cheers that welcome the end of the performance. Jeff runs to tell his friend how awesome he thinks he is. Kurt hugs him tight. He looks relieved at the easy acceptance, silly boy.

"Go on, Kurtie. I think your boyfriend needs CPR."

"Jeff!"

* * *

><p>Rachel is sitting at a small table with Kurt, Blaine, Jeff, Nick, Mercedes, Noah, Sam and Lauren – talking about the merits of the agreement they signed with Mr. Schuester after the fiasco of alcohol-awareness week. The conversation is surprisingly interesting and mature.<p>

"I know we agreed not to talk about Regionals." She says after a while. "But can I just say one thing?" They all nod for her to go on and she holds Kurt's hand tightly. "Your duet was beautiful and so moving. I enjoyed it immensely. You even had Noah in tears!"

Said boy gives her a light shove, grumbling about 'big-mouthed divas'. Mercedes and Lauren are chuckling. Kurt smiles at her sweetly, Blaine looks proud.

"Thank you, babes. Your song was beautiful, too. Did you write it?" Kurt asks. It's funny that they've seen each other almost every day and this is the first time they're talking about it. "It was a bit heartbreaking, though. You had Jeff here crying and asking me why you were so sad."

His smile this time is 80% evil and 20% amused. Jeff groans and hides his face in his arms. All the girls at the table go 'aawww'. Rachel stands up and walks up to him, on the other side of the table. Then she touches his shoulder and, when he looks up at her, she puts her arms around his neck and hugs him tightly.

"Thank you." She whispers in his ear.

"You're welcome." He answers, circling her waist with his own arms and sounding surprised. When she lets go, he is blushing. She has to laugh a little and, to prevent the comment she knows is going to come from Kurt, Rachel asks:

"So, are you going to give us an encore of Raise Your Glass or what? I feel as if we are the only ones performing. You know, those steps on the stage were mostly for you."

Blaine agrees enthusiastically and goes to collect his fellow Warblers. Kurt gives her a look that says 'don't think I didn't notice what you did there', before following his boyfriend.

While they perform the uplifting song, Rachel sits next to Noah, discussing the possibilities.

"Can you imagine what it would be like if we had them for Nationals?" He asks her, a small frown on his face.

"Yes, I can. We would be unstoppable. It's a real pity we are from different schools. They have marvelous vocal range and harmonic abilities."

"I think Kurt is going to come back soon." He says suddenly. Rachel looks at him, stunned.

"You really think so?"

"Yeah. He misses us, I can see it. He probably misses your competitions too." He smirks, taking her hand to show he didn't mean it in a bad way.

"I know." Rachel answers, squeezing his hand a little. "I miss him, too…"

She probably sounded sadder than she thought, because Noah tugs at her arm to pull her closer and kisses her temple. She loves this kind side he has, that he doesn't shows to a lot of people. She's honored to be among the lucky few. She kisses his cheek to thank him and puts her head on his shoulder, turning back towards the performance.

* * *

><p>"I think you guys are at your best when you get creative. That's why your mash-ups are so brilliant."<p>

Charlie has to agree with what Schuester is saying. He likes to help with the arranging when they're doing mash-ups. And even Brad talks, during those days. His favorite is definitely-

"I know what you're thinking about." Rachel's knowing voice interrupts his train of thought.

"You do?" He smirks. She laughs and tugs on a lock of his ginger hair.

"You're thinking about _that_ mash-up."

Charlie doesn't lose time denying it. She is totally right.

"I bet this boys would love to see it…" He suggests slyly. Rachel raises an eyebrow, grabbing Mercedes' hand as she passes behind her, without looking. The two girls exchange a look and the taller one nods.

"What if I told you I brought those costumes, too?"

Charlie only laughs and goes to gather his fellow band members.

"Take Tanya with you. She can bring back our leather jackets."

This time it's a bit more difficult for the girls to disappear without anyone noticing. When the boys look at their sudden mass migration from the room with bewildered eyes, though, they only smile and give them a light "Be right back!". Charlie has to smile at Lauren's perplexed face, as she follows them.

Less than ten minutes later, Tanya comes back, carrying their jackets.

"They're ready when we are." She smiles and the band starts to play.

All they have to do now is kick back and enjoy the reactions. (Well – OK… The performance, too.)

* * *

><p>Thad isn't sure how this boys are able to perform, with such pretty ladies there. They're mighty distracting, allow him to say. It's not that they try particularly hard, they're just fascinating. All of them, with their apparent peculiarities and the competitive vein that runs in all of them. Even the apparently quiet ones. It's clear that this is a group that aims for their audiences' emotions, even if they lose precision in the delivery. There is no doubt that they are completely different from the Warblers. What really surprises him, though, is how perfectly they are getting along with each other. It should be impossible, considering they are at the opposite ends of the performance spectrum. Then again, even the Warblers are pretty different from one another when taken separately. Artie's voice interrupts his musings:<p>

"Thad, how does an acapella choir work, exactly?"

Is it Christmas again? Because someone just gave him a present. The next hour is spent explaining to Artie, and the rest of New Directions, who have slowly joined them, the basis of background harmonizing and beat boxing and whatever else makes a successful acapella choir.

Thad is so deeply in his element, that he asks them if they'd like to try.

"I'm so sorry, ladies, but I really can't make a mixed group work. You'll have to seat this one out." He adds, deeply remorseful.

They only look at each other and smile pleasantly.

"Don't worry!" Says Tina, pointing to the stage and grabbing Kurt's hand. "We'll be your audience. We need to ask Kurt something, anyway. Can you spare him?"

They proceed to belt out an outstanding rendition of The Killers' _Bones_, with Artie and Blaine as main vocalists, that blows everyone away.

Thad has to admit that these guys are really good. Incredibly fast to adapt, too!

* * *

><p>They have just tried their hand at singing without music, when Sam notices that something is going to happen. After years of being a sci-fi nerd, he is pretty sure he can sense a shift in the force. The others are still congratulating each other, when he sees it: the girls and Kurt are clapping politely, but a smirk is plastered all over their faces. This is not good.<p>

"That was quite good." Santana says, with what he knows is her condescending face. "It could be better, of course."

"Oh, and I bet you could do better?" Puck asks skeptically, a couple of the other guys nodding behind him. And that is the error, because Sam is sure – that is definitely Santana's "I'm going to eat your heart for breakfast" face. Judging from the terror in Blaine's eyes when they meet his own, he's guessing Kurt has got one of those, too.

"We _definitely_ can." She says.

"Prove it."

"Fine."

"Fine!"

"Can we borrow Trent and Nick, please?" Rachel interrupts, before this escalates. Sam could hug her, right now. A fighting Puck and Santana honestly scare him…

After a brief whispered discussion, the group makes a circle and Brittany gives them their cue (it always surprises him that Brittany is the most adept with a music sheet of them all). A perfect _'Oooooohh…'_ raises from the center of the circle and Sam recognizes the song immediately. It's one of his all time favorites. Three things happen in fast succession: Puck chokes on air, Blaine's jaw falls so low it might be necessary to get it back from the floor and Brad smiles brilliantly.

"_Because the world is round,_

_It turns me on._

_Because the world is round…"_

They sound otherworldly, there's no denying. They were right: they are better than them. Not that it surprises him in the least.

"_Because the wind is high,_

_It blows my mind._

_Because the wind is high…"_

"How can they do that?" A voice asks from his right. He turns to find Nathan, with his eyes wide open and his mouth like a fish. He always looks so composed and detached, that Sam is able to hold his laughter in only with great strain.

"They're great, aren't they?"

"But they shouldn't be able to do it! It took us months to sound like that!"

"Let me explain something." Sam says slowly. "Even if they live under the weight of the roles they've carved for each other, those girls are tuned to the rest of the group more than even they know. I'm the new guy and I noticed it immediately. It doesn't surprise me at all that they're able to sound like that, to be honest."

"_Because the sky is blue,_

_It makes me cry._

_Because the sky is blue…"_

When the song comes to an end, he leaves Nathan, and the rest of the boys, to their flabbergasted silences and goes to hug the girls. Artie follows him with the same unsurprised expression.

"You are the best."

* * *

><p>The evening is coming to an end and Rachel has to say it, if only in her head: it was a success. She's sitting in a small group, composed of Artie, Sam, Brittany, Quinn, Wes and three other Warblers that seem to be inseparable: Jeff, Nick and Simon. They're discussing the merits of going to a private school – mostly because of the absence of Slushies – when Jeff turns to her and says happily.<p>

"You all sounded like angels before, when you sang _Because_."

Rachel likes this impish, blond boy. He is sweet and funny, with a smile that can brighten the room. Plus he's cute, which is always a bonus.

"Oh, you haven't heard angels, yet." They all look at her, frowning. "Would you like to?"

The Warblers nod slowly and her friends smile; there must be something in her eyes that gave her idea away. Well, this will give them pause.

"Finn!" She cries, "Finn, come here. We need help with something."

The tall boy gestures to his friends to wait a moment and joins them with a pleasant smile and a nod towards the petite girl who called him. She gestures for him to bend down and whispers something in his ear that makes him laugh.

"Ok. I remember it." He assures. "Just give me the chord."

Rachel claps excitedly and looks at them again.

"You'll see." She laughs. "He can't help it, he's just wired that way." Then she gives Finn the note he needs and he sings:

_"I hear your voice. It's like an angel sighing..."_

Kurt, that until then had been conversing animatedly with Blaine, Mercedes and Mr. Schue, stops speaking abruptly and turns immediately towards Finn, answering:

_"I have no choice. I hear your voice, feels like flying..."_

There is a moment of silence – then they're all cheering and laughing. Kurt is stunned and blushing.

"That was easier than I predicted." Says Rachel to a smiling Quinn. They bump fists lightly, a soft look in their eyes. Rachel is happy to see that tonight, they've left their feud at home. She doesn't hate Quinn. At all. Sometimes she wishes they could be friends, even.

* * *

><p>Kurt is shocked. Where has that come from? And why hasn't he seen it coming? Since they discovered his quirk, his friends have been merciless, starting songs for the mere pleasure of hearing him carry on without even noticing. Rachel was one to talk, too!<p>

He looks down when he feels Blaine's still smiling lips on his hand. His eyes are sparkling and he looks deeply amused. Smitten, too. Kurt's stomach does a couple back flips. He's his _boyfriend_! He still has some difficulty believing it.

"She thinks she's so clever." He tells him, when the noise has quieted down. Mercedes snorts. "But she's as bad as me. Look at this:

"_I'm through accepting limits, 'cause someone says they're so."_ He sings clearly, his back to the small diva. As expected, she answers immediately:

"_Some things I cannot change. But 'till I try I'll never know!"_

The laughter starts again and Kurt turns around to look at Rachel's face, when he hears her gasp. He knows she's going to yell at him, so he anticipates her. After all, this is his favorite part and he always thought they would sing it beautifully together, instead of against each other.

"_Too long I've been afraid of losing love I guess I've lost."_

She looks at him with bright eyes, a happy smile on her lips. The room is silent again, waiting for her response.

"_Well if that's love, it comes at much too high a cost!"_

He can see she probably means it…

* * *

><p>Since Kurt and Rachel are finally friends, Mercedes can say that a large amount of stress has been taken away from her life.<p>

Of course, when she sees them conspiring together, she almost regrets it. They are watching (predatorily is the only word that comes to mind), while Sam is trying to follow the conversation Brittany and Jeff are having with him. Poor guy.

"Are you two brothers?" Brittany asks eagerly. Sam looks confused.

"Why?" He sounds really cautious. Kurt and Rachel giggle next to her.

"You are blond! And you kinda look like each other."

Mercedes muffles her own laughter behind a hand. Sam looks like he has been blundered with a club. Jeff mock-gasps.

"Then you must be our sister!"

Brittany cheers and they hug and jump around happily. Sam groans.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, ma belle?" Kurt sounds deeply amused, but his gaze is calculating.

"I sure am, milord." Rachel answers promptly. They're starting to freak her out.

"If your thinking _Starstrukk_ by 3OH!3 featuring Katy Perry," Artie says from behind them, "then I'm thinking what you're thinking, too."

"It'll be a Blond Attack!" Kurt says happily, his hand sweeping in front of them.

And that's how Mercedes finds herself sitting in front of the stage, with Brittany, Jeff and Sam singing and jumping and dancing before the whole group. She has to admit, they were right: they look and sound fantastic. Maybe Kurt, Rachel and Artie should look into talent scouting; they seem to have the eye for it.

* * *

><p>"Hello Kurtie."<p>

Kurt looks up from the piano he's been sitting at for five minutes, to find an insecure-looking Rachel leaning on it, at his left.

"Hey girlie! What's wrong? You look like you just ripped one of my shirts… You didn't, right?"

"No, I didn't. Jumping out of a window is safer." She answers with a smile. "I noticed I never asked forgiveness for that stupid thing with Blaine. I knew you liked him, but I could only see what _I_ wanted and what _I_ needed and never gave a second thought to the possibility that you might be suffering because of me. Again."

"Rachel…"

"No. Let me finish, please. If I want to finally get it right, someday, I have to start facing the consequences of what I do. So, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, I am. And I'm so happy that you two finally found each other. You're so perfect together. I've waited so long to see you smile like that again."

Seeing the tears in his friend's eyes, Kurt has to smile and tug at her arm so that she sits on the bench with him.

"I forgave you the moment you kissed my cheek and skipped out of the Lima Bean." He explains gently. "I understand you better than you think, Rach. Plus, you weren't the only one who did something stupid that week, to be honest. I said some things I'd rather forget. The important thing is, we are friends now. Yes, we still fight and disagree with each other on a regular basis, but you know I love and respect you. And I know you feel the same for me."

Rachel leans her head on his shoulder and takes his hand in hers. She is so happy to have finally found a friend in Kurt. Despite all their bad history, they're finally at a place where they can understand the other. As if he could read her mind and follow where her thoughts are going to lead, Kurt begins a delicate melody on the piano keys. She looks up and sees the smile and the question in his eyes. At her nod, he starts to sing:

"_I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason,_

_Bringing something we must learn,_

_And we are led to those who help us most to grow._

_If we let them and we help them in return._

_Well, I don't know if I believe that's true,_

_But I know I'm who I am today_

_Because I knew you…"_

At the sound of his voice, the room falls immediately silent. Everybody turns to face the two teenagers sitting at the piano, singing of facing hardships and finding friendship. Rachel feels like her heart could explode. This is, without a doubt, their song. When her part comes up, she smiles at Kurt and lays her hands on the keys, adding her music to his.

"_It well may be that we will never meet again in this lifetime,_

_So let me say before we part,_

_So much of me is made of what I learned from you._

_You'll be with me like a handprint on my heart._

_And now, whatever way our stories end,_

_I know you have rewritten mine, by being my friend…"_

Kurt has to admit that he loves singing with Rachel. Their voices, despite all evidence pointing to the contrary, sound perfect together. As they sing, Kurt alternates between looking into Rachel's, for once serene, eyes and observing the reactions of his friends around them. Blaine looks fond and proud, and Kurt hopes he'll always look at him with that unwavering faith in his eyes. Mercedes is brushing away tears from her cheeks. This makes him smile – she's sappier than she'd ever admit. Finn has his goofy smile on. He's clearly happy they seem to finally get along.

When the finale comes, he looks at Rachel and sees in her the same giddiness he feels. High notes tend to make this effect on them. They gently come back down, finishing with a tender look.

"_Who can say if I've been changed for the better?_

_I do believe I have been changed for the better!"_

"_And, because I knew you,"_ Kurt feels his eyes are getting damp. Rachel shakes her head a bit.

"_Because _I_ knew you,"_ She sings with a gentle voice. Then their voices join for the last time.

"_Because I knew you,_

_I have been changed..._

_...For Good."_

THE END

* * *

><p>Warblers: Simon (Brock Baker), Nathan (Aaron C. Page), Robert (James David), Dean (Cord Jackman), Elija (Luke Edgemon). I haven't researched the names of the actors who play the band, yet, so have their roles: Leo (drummer), Charlie (lead guitarist), Tanya (guitarist), Kyle (bassist), Johnny (keyboardist), Jodie (violinist).<p> 


End file.
